Recollection
by Alirica
Summary: How did Grandma Norma know about the Once-ler anyway? Ted and Audrey listen to her tale of friendship, hardship, and betrayal that happened over fifty years ago.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 01**

Thneedville had come to change. Six months had come and passed since the last seed had been planted, sprouted, and became the very first of the many Truffula trees that came to follow. It had bloomed like a dandelion, spreading its fluffy seeds around the town in the gentlest of breezes. They were still so small and fragile with their strength in nothing but their numbers. They grew everywhere they could sink their roots. More and more concrete was torn away to make room for them. All that was now left of the town's walls was the debris, and more and more of it was taken away each day. The sun was bright and clear again, and the clouds were starting to sprinkle true rain again. The soil drank it up greedily each and every time, and the trees could only thrive. Thneedville had come to change, but it was still a work in progress.

Ted Wiggins, idealistic and twelve (but nearly thirteen), spent most of his time tending to these trees. He found himself watering, and fertilizing, and pruning, and encouraging them to grow with silly little songs. Audrey, probably closing in on fifteen herself, knew so much about them. She spoke carefully and thoughtfully as she instructed him. He just listened, admiring her voice. No… admiring her _passion_. The trees were beautiful, yes, but not as beautiful as _her_.

"Plants really love being talked to. They like to hear about your day," Audrey explained with a quick smile. The two of them sat in the dirt around the first Truffula tree of Thneedville, right in the dead center of town. It was the biggest one of all, even if still so small. Audrey called it _Hope_.

Ted stared inquisitively, "How can they even hear you? They don't have ears."

"They can _feel _it!" she chirped back, revealing a wider grin. When she spoke about the trees, her smile glowed. When she gazed upon the trees, her eyes sparkled. Of all the reasons in the world to plant this one seed, this had to be the very best. Seeing Audrey's dreams come alive awakened a flutter deep inside Ted's chest. Just as sweet as butterfly milk, he'd bet. He still didn't know what that had meant, though.

"How long is it going to take for these trees to be full grown?" Ted asked. He kept his words slow as he moved his gaze away from Audrey and back to the Truffula tree between them. It stood at a mere twelve inches, about the height of his ruler at school. It seemed to stand proud, though, nonetheless.

"Years and years," she whispered, the whimsical nature leaving her voice. Her gaze fell.

"Years?" he exclaimed. He couldn't lie, he hadn't truly known what to expect from these trees. He had never encountered anything like a real tree. Anything that grew out of the ground had been completely unknown to him. He had had high expectations, imagining often that everything would be as beautiful as the Once-ler had described in his story by now. But trees were like people. They needed to be cared for and nurtured. They needed love and patience. They needed time to grow and develop into full grown versions of themselves. Just like he did. He was just a boy right now, but one day he would be a full grown man. He was already almost a teenager, even. It would take years, just like the young Truffula trees. If Audrey could be patient for the trees, could she be patient for him?

Audrey smiled weakly. She too had had false hopes that everything would be different by now. In many ways they were, but there were still so many people bent in their old ways. It wasn't easy changing everything ever known. At first, when the walls had fallen down, it had been difficult for many. The stagnant air from the outside had quickly worked its way into every corner of the town. Many people became sick while others suffered mildly with coughs and congestion. Several people wished for the purified air that they had grown to rely on. So much so that riots occurred. Debates. Political wars. No one seemed to agree on anything anymore. What had happened to _'__Let it grow'_? A lot of people started to forget about the Truffula tree. All they wanted was their comfort back.

It was when the trees started sprouting all around town that the tension started to cool. The air was slowing clearing up as the saplings soaked it in and refreshed it. Air wasn't for sale because nobody needed it anymore. That was the only real reason. Audrey was sure O'Hare could have made a comeback during the days before the saplings. God knows why he hadn't tried. Alas, Truffula seeds were suddenly available at the market. They grew on their own, but people were still trying to make money any way they could. Audrey's heart broke to the thought of the trees becoming the next big business of Thneedville. No, these were something that should have always been there. Not something new. Not something to sell. Clean air was something that should have always been free.

"Maybe the Once-ler knows how to make them grow faster," Ted suggested suddenly, snapping Audrey's mind back to the present. The Once-ler knew all about the trees. Well, he had known where they had all gone.

"Nobody has gone to see him since he gave you that last seed. Maybe we should go see him just to thank him for helping us save the trees. We can ask him for any tips while we're there," Audrey answered after a short pause.

It was true. Ted had considered going back to see him on many occasions. Tell him about all the amazing things that were happening. Thank him. But each time it seemed something would come up. Family, school, trees, and Audrey all seemed to swallow up his time. He was lucky if he could even find time just for himself some days. The Once-ler was still alone like he had been for so many years. He deserved much more than just a _thank you_.

"I would like to meet this Once-ler anyway," she spoke again before Ted had ever replied. He just nodded. That's what they would do first thing tomorrow, then. Go thank the Once-ler.

Early the following morning Ted rushed down the stairs of his house, taking two steps at a time. He felt his balance wobble off centre, but maintained his speed to stay upright. It was the logic behind riding a bicycle. If he kept moving he might not tip over. Nearly tripping on the last step, he let out a short cry on reflex, but then regained his footing at the landing. A sigh of relief escaped him and he continued his speed to the kitchen. Audrey would be knocking at the door any moment now and he hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. How immature would it look if she found out he had slept in?

Ted bee lined to the cupboard, grabbing the box of cereal and then turning on his heels for the table. When his eyes saw red he was sure his face had changed to the same shade.

"Good morning Ted," Audrey smiled. She sat gracefully at his kitchen table across from his grandmother. Grammy looked up at him with a similar smile.

"G-good morning," he replied with a stutter. His face heated up as he tried to think of the words to say to make himself not appear as bad as he was. He was always so desperate to impress Audrey. He hated when he ended up looking just like the 12-year-old he was.

Grammy spoke first, "Good morning Teddy! I hear you and Audrey are off to see _the Once-ler_!" There was something in her voice that Ted had never heard before.

"Uh, yeah. To thank him, and you know, stuff."

"Feel free to say hello on my behalf!" Grammy said happily. She then took a long sip from her mug of coffee, closing her eyes and enjoying it sensually. Whatever Ted had thought he had heard had disappeared into her cup. He stared long at his grandmother, a touch of confusion in his expression. It then dawned on him that Audrey was still sitting there, looking up at him with her same kind smile.

"Oh! Audrey!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide, "I'm _so_sorry! We can go now!"

"No rush Ted. Go ahead and have breakfast," she giggled. She wasn't bothered with waiting. It was still early in the morning and there was plenty of time left to the day. She had only waited fifteen minutes or so before he had come crashing into the room. Ted's face was still flushed, his eyes shifting around the kitchen for an idea of what to do. She could tell his feet were glued to the floor, unsure of how to walk. She decided to help him out by pouring a bowl of cereal at the seat next to hers. She met his eyes with invitation.

Ted hesitated, but then sat down at the table, shame shadowing his thoughts. Audrey began to add milk to his cereal and he thanked her with a low mumble. Her smile never faded though. She was so nice. Too nice. He started to fear that she was falling in love with him, but in all the wrong ways. It wouldn't have surprised him if she started calling him her little brother of sorts. She loved the trees, and she loved him for helping bring the trees to Thneedville. But, there were so many definitions to love. Ted wanted one that seemed always just out of reach.

"Hey Teddy, did you ever get to _see _the Once-ler?" Grammy suddenly questioned, her eyes moving up from her coffee and to him, "Like, with your _eyes_."

Ted looked up and blinked, "No."

"Oh? That's too bad."

Ted took his first bite of his breakfast cereal as Grammy gave her attention back to her drink without any more words. That strange feeling came over him again. As if there was something going unsaid. He looked over to Audrey to see if she had noticed anything as well. She had a similar confusion written into her face. She answered his question with her gaze.

"Grandma Norma, may I ask you a question?" Audrey broke the silence, giving her eyes to the older woman sitting across the table from her. Grammy acknowledged her with a nod and a smile.

"How was it that you knew about the Once-ler, and that he would know about the trees? I've actually asked around town because I've been curious about this, and not much of anyone else I have spoken to has ever heard about him," she spoke confidently and almost accusingly. Ted choked on his cereal, milk spotting the table. He hadn't been expecting such a direct question from Audrey. She was usually quiet and kind. Ted had never seen her question someone so harshly. Grammy didn't share this shock, though. She held her smile and an expression of what Ted could have only defined as relief filled her face. She had been waiting for this question long enough.

"Oh, I thought you'd never ask!" excitement filled Grammy's voice as she jumped up to her feet in seconds, and pranced around the room. Ted had to quickly duck to avoid receiving a thump to his head from her walking cane. She waved it around enthusiastically, howling and hooting. He let out a yelp, but it didn't seem to go noticed. Audrey stared in awe of Grammy's enthusiasm. She skipped up and down, left and right, singing about the Once-ler and the Thneed. Words that didn't make sense strung together to make sentences that made even less sense. Ted and Audrey stared at each other, jaws dropped.

Grammy left the room, humming songs never heard before. She came back shortly after, still singing and dancing. She wiggled her way back to her seat and fell silent. Ted felt awkwardness cloud the kitchen, his eyes darting back and forth between his grandma and Audrey. Audrey was still filled with amazement. She wasn't used to such energy from an older person. Her grandmother did nothing but sway in her rocking chair reading romance novels and cross-stitching.

"I've never told anyone this story," Grammy began finally, "Not even your mother knows!"

"Oh, we won't tell anyone!" Audrey squeaked excitedly. She loved stories. Especially _secret _stories about _trees_.

Grammy squinted, "Well then."

Silence.

"Grammy, is this going to be a real story?" Ted suddenly interrupted, asking his question with doubt. As true as the story of the Once-ler had ended up being, that still left it at a 1:100 ratio. It was more than likely that she was remembering something that never actually happened at all.

"Oh Ted, I guarantee this story is more real than anything," she answered, an unexpected sternness in her voice. Ted flinched a bit.

"Did you know the Once-ler personally?" questioned Audrey, intense interest lacing her words and face. Ever since Ted had explained to her about how he had obtained the last seed, she had wanted to meet the Once-ler. He seemed like a hero to her. Even if it had been his fault that the trees were gone, she still admired him. He gave all he had left to Ted.

Grammy smirked, "Yes… Once-ler and I go way back."

"What?!" Ted exclaimed, choking again on this breakfast.

"I knew him long before he ever started cutting down Truffula trees."

Audrey and Ted didn't say a word, staring like children at story time.

"It all started a long, _long _time ago…"

Ted winced inwardly, glancing over to the clock, "Of course it does."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hello, and welcome to _Recollection,_ the humble fanfic about my take on the past relationship of the Once-ler and Grammy Norma! One of the firsts, even! Go on and find yourself a seat next to Ted and Audrey. It's a long story, so you might want to get comfortable. :)

Thank you for reading, reviewing, and enjoying.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 02**

"I remember it as if it were only yesterday..." Grammy began, calmness melting into her expression and setting the mood.

**ooooo**

Early mornings hadn't ever been Norma's thing. The alarm clock buzzed, but she tried her best to ignore it. _Buzz buzz, buzz buzz_. It persisted. She lifted her head of chestnutty curls from her pillow and glared groggily at the blazing red digits screaming at her. 8:00 AM. Classes started in an hour and a half. A sinking feeling fluttered inside her stomach as her mind wandered to thoughts of school. Norma slammed her palm against the snooze button and rolled over. Nine more minutes, that's all. Just nine more minutes.

_ Buzz buzz, buzz buzz_. This time, Norma somehow found the will power to pry herself away from her mattress to turn off the alarm. The time stared back at her, pressuring her to get up and ready for school. Another minute ticked by as she sat still and upright atop her bed, keeping her eyes glued to the clock. A whispering argument went on around her between her alarm clock and her pillow. She longed to let the pillow win.

"Norma!" a shout erupted from the hallway outside her bedroom. The sternness in her mother's voice sent ripples down her spine. Norma ripped away the bed sheets and darted up and out of her room and to the top of the stairs. Her mother stared up at her from the bottom, arms crossed over her chest. She didn't look angry, but she didn't look pleased either.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Norma cried back down to her. She then quickly changed her direction toward the bathroom. She entered the room quickly, approaching the mirror and staring intently at her reflection. Her curly hair sat in a bedhead mess upon her shoulders, begging for a comb to run through it. She granted the wish, picking up the comb from the counter and attempting to do so. The comb ended up getting stuck half way down her head. Her eyelids lowered into a glare. Today was the day she would defeat it.

Steam filled the room when she turned the knobs to the shower's faucet. Hot water pitter-pattered against the porcelain as she tested the temperature with her hand. After adjusting it twice, she finally approved, turning on the shower head with a quick pull of the plunger. Her clothes fell to the tiled floor and she hopped in briskly.

Fifteen minutes later the water shut off. A dripping hand appeared from behind the shower curtain, feeling its way to the fuzzy blue towel on the rack. Fingers wrapped around the cotton and pulled it in. Seconds after, Norma pried away the curtain and stepped out of the tub, newly wrapped up tightly in her towel. This time, when she ran the comb through her hair, it went down smoothly. Handfuls of conditioner had done the trick. She smiled victoriously and continued combing through her hair until it all lay straight and neat around her face. She then proceeded to duck down and open the cupboards beneath the sink. Rummaging around, she could feel her hair slowly begin to bend and twist. She pulled out her hair dryer and plugged it into the outlet. It took twenty minutes to blow dry completely. Her hair now sat wavy, poofy, and all over the place. It was more manageable now, if nothing else. She then switched up her dryer for her flat iron and started heating it up.

"What have you done to your hair?" Norma's mother couldn't help but cry out when her daughter reached the kitchen table.

Norma ran her fingers through her straightened hair proudly, "I straightened it. I decided the first day of my 12th year was worth celebrating this way."

"But your curls are so beautiful!"

"Easy for you to say," Norma huffed, admiring her mom's amazingly straight hair. All natural straight hair on her mother's side, yet Norma was gifted with her father's curls. It took so much time and effort to obtain the same smoothness that her mother just woke up with. Life was just not fair sometimes!

"Your classes start in fifteen minutes," her mom changed the subject suddenly. Norma glanced over to the kitchen clock and then to her bowl of cereal. Luckily for her, she lived merely a crosswalk away from her school. Not so luckily, though, she wasn't going to be eating breakfast that morning. Norma shot up from her chair and out of the kitchen, yelping out her good byes brutishly. Out the front door in seconds, she ran all the way to school.

When Norma arrived, the first bell was just starting to sound. She sighed with relief and marched to class with the rest of the herd. Her first class was English. She found the classroom pretty easily and stepped inside with the same ease. She sat next to the only person she really knew in the class, a girl named Abigail. She had bright red-orange hair full of body and shine and piercing green eyes. She was honestly the most beautiful girl Norma had ever seen. Norma remembered her from the year before. They had done several projects together and spent time together at the library a few times. When she saw Norma, she smiled.

"Did you straighten your hair? I barely recognized you!" she stated cheerfully. Her voice cracked a touch and her grin was a little weak. There really wasn't more to their relationship than homework, but Norma could tell she was trying.

"Yeah, I thought I'd put in the effort this morning," Norma replied, trying to play it cool. Abigail stuck out her tongue playfully in response, and then brought her attention back to the front of the classroom. Norma did the same, but a gleefully smile spread widely across her lips. She didn't want it to be known, but it had truly just brought her bliss having Abigail notice her hair. She ran her fingers through it and touched it all throughout the period.

English class was English class, and it eventually came to an end. Norma migrated away, waving to Abigail, onward to her business class for second period. The five minute gap between classes proved to barely be enough time and she found herself running up the flight of stairs on the other end of the high school at the last minute. She launched herself through the door just in time, but too late to have a big selection of seating. The teacher stared her down, so she sat down quickly at the closest available seat. She glanced around the classroom and found no familiar faces.

Business class proved to be business class. As the teacher outlined the course, Norma allowed her mind wander. She wondered about what she would do over lunch period. Who should she hang out with? What might she eat at the cafeteria? She wondered about her English homework and if she'd get any business homework. She thought about her hair and if anyone else had noticed. She let her eyes wander to her closest classmate to her left. He didn't seem to be paying much attention either. He was doodling in what looked to be a worn out sketchpad that had seen several months of use. Maybe even longer than that, as she continued to stare. She couldn't see what he was drawing, but he had a delicate hand about it. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Norma looked away and back to the front of the room. Sheets were being passed along from desk to desk now. When the sheets reached the boy on her left, he didn't budge. He didn't even notice. He brushed his dark bangs out of his face and continued to sketch. She stared awkwardly, about to call to him before she realized she didn't know his name. It was down to the last two copies, the last one being hers. It sat on his desk at the corner, waiting.

"Hey!" she hissed.

Nothing.

"Dude, come on!" she tried again. She gently poked his forearm with her index finger in attempt to snap the boy back into reality. The sudden touch startled him, sending him to his feet. Girlish screams escaped him. Norma frowned. Their classmates all stared back at them in silence as the boy recollected himself and quickly sat back down, cheeks glowing bright red. He looked over at her with innocent confusion. No words, but his question was in his eyes. Norma replied back with her eyes, shifting them to the sheet and back to him.

He looked down to his desk and mumbled, "Oh."

"Thanks," Norma whispered when he handed her copy to her. He just nodded and quickly looked away, back at his sketchpad. She was a little bit annoyed but shook it off. He was just another dazed artist taking the wrong courses. It was a typical sight, really. They never paid any attention, and they never really said anything at all. She looked down at the music notes she had already managed to doodle onto her page. Much like herself, just filling in the optional credits whichever way she could. She had much bigger plans awaiting her.

Class ended much like it began, with the sound of the bell. Norma began collecting her things, thoughts resurfacing on how to spend her first 12th year lunch. Maybe Abigail would be free to eat with. The two of them hadn't really spent lunch period together ever before, but there was always a first time for everything. She was nice and seemed to like Norma enough. Maybe.

Norma found her eyes drifting over to the sketchpad on the desk to her left when she rose to her feet. It was easier to see from above. Not what she had expected, though. The beautiful and delicate drawings she had imagined where actually strange patterns and indistinguishable scribbles scratched all over the page. There were eraser marks and holes in the paper where he had rubbed away mistakes too hard, and scribbled notes in handwriting that weren't readable. An artist or an idle madman?

"Hey! Quit trying to steal my ideas!" Norma suddenly heard, awakening her from her thoughts. The boy was now standing in front of her, holding his sketchbook to his chest protectively. Norma hadn't realized she had drifted off into daydream with her eyes on his book. He stared down at her from his great height, eyes tight in a glare. Norma felt uncomfortable under his reticle. She looked around the classroom, but it was already almost empty. She looked back at her desk neighbour and forced a lopsided smile to ease the moment.

"Don't worry, buddy," she began, allowing a bit of her attitude show, "I saw nothing there worthy of stealing."

The boy stared back, a look of dismay quickly coming over him. It almost seemed as though he had fallen into complete shock with the idea that anyone could have ever said such a horrible, terrible thing about his work. His creation. Norma bit her bottom lip, feeling at a loss of words. She wasn't quite sure where this was going or if she really wanted to stick around to find out. Had she just insulted him? She had only been joking. Had it been obvious enough?

"Look... I was only kidding," she spoke softly. A look of relief came over him immediately and he smiled a silly but genuine smile. He then turned away from her to gather his belongings. Once all his things were packed away, he walked away from her without another word. Norma stayed in place, lacking comprehension. This wasn't how any of her interactions with boys had ever gone before. Usually she was the one walking off, feelings hurt. She wasn't really sure how this made her feel. She began to twiddle with her hair again. The concern was gone almost as soon as it had come over her. She was the last one to leave class, but she left enthusiastically, skipping off to go find Abigail.

It turned out that Abigail was much more popular than Norma. Norma found Abigail rather quickly, sitting in the center of a large group of several other students in the cafeteria. She smiled at the Norma with the same smile she had presented her with that morning, but she didn't gesture her over. Norma smiled back and walked on passed, trying to keep the disappointment from surfacing in her eyes. It was always during lunch period that she was reminded that all the people she called _friends _were really just acquaintances. A few other smiles were passed her way on eye contact, but no invites. She soon found herself leaving the cafeteria and venturing outside. The September air was nice, caught somewhere between warm and cool. She discovered her place at one of the picnic tables scattered around the backside of the school. A few others lingered about, but it was quiet.

She didn't need to spend lunch period with other people, she thought to herself. As a matter of fact, it was nice to have some time alone. There was so much to just sit and think about. Important things. More important than the gossip, or the summertime stories her fellow classmates would have shared. She told herself this, but there was still a dull ache in the hollow of her chest. Norma desperately yearned for something more than a casual conversation. Small talk was starting to eat away at her soul. She didn't want to ask the same people the same questions, each and every single day. How are you? What do you think of this weather? How has your day been? Did she really think that straight hair could have made anything different?

Norma's thoughts were whisked away when suddenly someone thumped down next to her. Her eyes snapped around to find the same boy that had been on her left in class, was now seated on her right. Out of all the empty picnic tables around, why did he have to come sit at hers? Wasn't it obvious that he was interrupting her self-pitying?

"Uhm..." she voiced. The boy didn't look up. He was rummaging through his backpack, pulling out various books and things. He couldn't seem to find whatever he was looking for. It reached a point where it seemed he had pulled out much more than could have ever originally fit, but his search only continued.

"Excuse me..." she squeaked again, nervously. This time her sound stirred in the boy's ears. He glanced over at her, and another girlish scream escaped him. He was on his feet now, most of his things scattered on the ground between them.

"When did you get here? Did you _follow _me here?" he accused loudly, wide eyes quickly squinting into a glare. Norma gaped back at him, unable to believe his words.

"What are you talking about? I was here first!"

"I think I would have saw you if you were here first."

"You _just _sat next to me!"

"This table was empty when I sat down!"

Norma's eyelids lowered halfway and she looked away from the nameless boy. She wanted to believe that she didn't have time to be absentmindedly arguing with this half-crazy classmate of hers. She tried really hard to believe it, but sadly enough, she had all the time in the world. She let go of a big sigh, and rested her head into her folded arms upon the picnic table. She could only dream of having better things to do.

"What's... wrong?" she heard him ask, concern and uneasiness lacing into his words. Oh, nothing at all, she thought. Just life and everything it consists of.

"Everything," she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for him to catch.

"Oh... well, that sucks," he replied awkwardly. He then began to pick up his items, one by one. Norma watched on silently before deciding to help him out. There were many different things she found herself picking up. A few different sketchbooks, all of equal amounts of wear and tear to the one she had seen in class. Sketching pencils. Writing pencils. School books. Knitting needles. Fluffy pink yarn. Wait, rewind; knitting needles and fluffy pink yarn? These items sat in her fingers a few extra seconds as she looked them over. It wasn't long before the boy snatched the yarn and needles away from her. He didn't blush, though, or look ashamed as she would have expected him to. Instead, he just stuffed them away, back into the depths his bag with the rest of his things. He carefully avoided meeting her eyes again. She let it go. To each their own.

"Anyway..." she began uncomfortably when the two of them were again seated side by side at the picnic table, "What's your name?"

He stared back cautiously, as if trying to decide if he wanted to answer, "Once-ler... _the _Once-ler, I mean."

"Are you kidding?" Norma was quick to laugh. She thought he was joking. Once-ler puffed up his cheeks in response.

"Oh..." she flinched. He wasn't joking.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 03**

Ted and Audrey were sitting side by side on the sofa by this point, staring Grammy down while waiting for more. Story time had migrated from the kitchen to the living room as soon as Ted had finished his _Empty-Os _breakfast cereal. An hour and a half had passed since Grammy's tale had begun. The morning sky was starting to brighten into midday. Ted looked over to Audrey, who was giving all of her attention to his grandmother. Her eyelids fluttered and her lips parted just a touch as she waited for the story to continue. Ted's eyes took her in, one detail at a time. It was almost overwhelming trying to see all of her beauty at once. Her red hair ignited his heartbeat. Her green irises held onto him tightly. Her creamy complexion just whisked him away. As much as he wanted to sit and admire Audrey for the rest of his life, he returned his attention back to Grammy, who had already let the pause in the story last a few moments.

"So the two of you were classmates? That's pretty cool," Ted commented awkwardly, breaking into the silence.

"Cool? Just _c__ool_? That's amazing!" Audrey exclaimed speedily in response, "Did the Once-ler whisk you off your feet and the two of you fell madly in love?"

Ted gawked back towards Audrey's direction, a blush deepening into his cheeks. Grammy just chuckled and folded her arms over her chest. She shifted her seated position upon the sofa chair on the other side of the coffee table between them.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. But I can guarantee we became fast friends."

And with that, the story continued.

**ooooo**

"Good morning, Once-ler," Norma greeted lazily when she entered second period's business class the following day. Once-ler didn't look up; he was back to work on his sketchpad. She furrowed her eyebrows, but quickly decided to ignore him in return. He was just some _weirdo _anyway. She was only saying hi to be nice. It's not like they were friends or anything like that.

"_The _Once-ler," he corrected quietly, keeping his eyes glued to his sketching. Norma's ears perked and she gave her attention back to him. The majority of the rest of the lunch period the day before had consisted of the two of them teasing each other over their names. How could someone be named _the _anything? Norma refused to participate in such silliness. He was a boy, not _a _or _the _Once-ler. It was a strange name all on its own before adding any unnecessary articles to it. On the other hand, Once-ler found it pretty hilarious that a girl was cursed with such a name as _Norma_. She didn't hesitate to resent him for this remark.

"Uh huh," Norma pretended to agree, rolling her eyes, "And what's a Once-ler, then?"

"I am," he answered briefly. Norma pursed her lips together and didn't respond. Instead, she quietly watched his right hand as it steadily sketched. It moved so gracefully along the paper that artful images of nature full of cross hatched shading came to her mind again. It was hard to believe the massacre she saw yesterday took so much time and passion to create. Did he even realize that his drawings made little to no sense at all? If an individual is their own worst critic, how could he possibly feel about them?

Once-ler raised his eyes to Norma, catching her gazing upon his work. In a mess of fears and nerves, he huffed and quickly closed his sketchbook. There were very important things that a simple bystander couldn't just see. No, not yet.

"I'm not stealing your ideas," she stated dully when she saw him protectively close and stash away his drawing book back into his bag, "I don't even know what these ideas are even supposed to be."

Once-ler didn't reply. He had no intention of explaining himself to anybody, let alone some girl he had only just met the day before. He opened his school books and poured his focus into the lesson. Eventually, through his peripheral vision, he noticed Norma do the same. But, the more the teacher spoke, the more his mind ached to wander back into his sketchbook and far away from this reality. He fidgeted with his pencil, roughly chewing on its eraser end. Thoughts and ideas were flowing through his nervous system, begging for release. They wanted nothing more than to exist.

Norma noticed Once-ler start to lose his cool. Like a case of withdrawal, he seemed to be fighting the craving to go back to scribbling in his book. It wasn't too long before he started spitting up pieces of eraser from the back end of his pencil. Norma couldn't help but crinkle her nose in disgust.

"I notice you didn't eat anything at lunch yesterday," she whispered teasingly, "Why don't we meet in the cafeteria for lunch and you can get something better than that eraser?"

"Ha _ha_," Once-ler whispered back with a glare. He tossed his pencil to his desk and tried again to ignore Norma and pay attention. The teacher spoke of business related things, in a business related tone, as was appropriate for a business related class. He wanted to listen, but the monotone voice kept phasing out. Along with Norma beside him, distracting him every chance she seemed to get, going back to his sketchbook was almost inevitable. He decided to openly give in.

Once-ler spent the rest of class in his drawing book, while Norma did her schoolwork and tried to sneak a peek at his doodles every now and again. Curiosity started to get the better of her. As the clock drew closer and closer to lunch period, her eyes would end up on Once-ler's page more and more often. He didn't seem to notice anymore, so her glances became longer and longer, morphing into stares. The last ten minutes seemed to flash by in an instant as she dazed off while watching him draw. Even if he had nothing to show for it, there was something entrancing about the elegance in his long fingers at work. When the bell rang unexpectedly, Norma tensed up for the moment. She then noticed Once-ler was once again hiding his scribbles, and she was once again needing to defend herself.

"If you're not trying to steal anything, why do I keep catching you staring?" Once-ler puffed, tossing all his belongings into his bag and standing to his feet. His daunting height belittled her.

"Maybe because I'm curious as to why you're so protective of what looks like doodles of an insane asylum escapee," Norma retorted, following his lead by packing away her books and shrugging her backpack over her shoulders. Once-ler took offense again. Initially, shock took over the muscles in his face, but it quickly hardened into anger. He turned on his heels and walked away from Norma, refusing to waste his breath on her. At first, Norma thought she'd just let him go... until she realized it was lunchtime now and he was the only person she had.

"H-hey! Wait up!" she called out, speed walking her way up behind him. His long, _long _legs maintained a steady, quick pace right out the door of the classroom and down the hall. Norma had a little trouble keeping up at a normal walking pace and had to keep speeding along behind him. He didn't look back.

"Come on now, Once-ler! I was only kidding! Come eat with me," she tried her hardest to sound kind, but persuasive. He didn't speak, not even to correct his name. She frowned. Maybe she was trying too hard.

"Okay," she mumbled in defeat, stopping in her tracks. Maybe it was just obvious they weren't compatible as friends. Obviously her sense of humor was a little too much for him, anyway.

Once-ler kept walking, contemplating where to spend the lunch break that day. He liked trying to find the quietest place in the school where he could just comfortably be alone. He wasn't too fond of his classmates, but that was because they had never been too fond of him. Just like Norma, they always found ways to tease and taunt him. No one understood. No one ever tried to. So for the benefit of everyone, he would always tuck himself away in a nice quiet corner.

"What if... I paid for your lunch?" Norma was suddenly beside him again. He was startled, but managed to contain his scream. He looked down at her, her eyes looking back up to him with desperation. His stiff anger softened.

"Are you trying to buy my friendship?" Once-ler questioned, unsure if he was offended or flattered.

"No!" she quickly defended, crossing her arms over her chest, "I just... don't think erasers have quite what the human body needs nutritionally."

"Oh, ha ha. You're making fun of me again," he realized out loud, rolling his eyes away from Norma, and back to the hallways ahead. He had slowed down for the moment when they spoke, but sped back up again. She followed persistently, even if falling behind. Every now and again she sputtered a bribe or plead that he silently ignored. He ended up leading her outside of the school. It was the front of the building, facing the main street. It was a cool day, and the grass around them seemed to leap about in the breeze. He stepped off and away from the pavement and brought himself, and her, to a large stone sign that sat close to the sidewalk. It was big and old, bearing the name of the high school in worn carved letters. '_Floraville Public High School'_. It was named for the little town it resided in. The little town that both Once-ler and Norma had spent their whole lives in.

Aging purple and pink flowers speckled the grass around the front side of the sign. Once-ler chose the backend, where most of the grass was worn away from frequent visitors. Mainly himself. The height of the sign came to his hips, so when he pulled off his bag and seated himself against the stone, he was invisible to any sidewalk pedestrians.

Norma looked around and saw no one. Most students spent the lunch period either in the cafeteria or at the backend of the school where the picnic tables and tennis courts lied. She, herself, had never really thought to wander to the front of the building just to be. She sat down next to Once-ler hesitantly, not saying a word. She stared with silent questions.

"Go away," he groaned.

"I was obviously here first," she smiled, a small giggle popping from her trachea. Once-ler wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry out in frustration. He chose neither, and instead sighed.

"I brought my own lunch," he announced, and he then began to search throughout his backpack.

"Oh," Norma replied quietly. She hadn't brought her own lunch, and she didn't really want to go hungry again as she had yesterday. But on the other hand, she also didn't really want to walk away from this moment just to eat alone in the cafeteria.

"You can have some if you want. But only a little. Less than half," he offered, sounding unsure of himself but responding to her debating thoughts. Swiftly and surely, he pulled out a bag of something. What was it? Norma looked carefully. Marshmallows. And that was it. He pulled apart the plastic bag at its seam and popped a few into his mouth. He flashed a marshmallowy grin her way.

"Those probably have about the same amount of nutritional value as the eraser..." Norma commented, staring blankly at his so-called _lunch_.

"Better than nothing," he sniped while cramming a few more into his teeth.

"You know what? In this case, probably not."

"Well, you don't have to have any!" he cried out defensively, holding his marshmallows close to him protectively, just as he had done with his sketchbook earlier. A sincere pout formed on his lips, and Norma didn't know what to say. He seemed way too sensitive to carry a normal conversation with. Or maybe Norma was a lot nastier than she had ever originally realized. Maybe normal conversations didn't actually consist of openly stating when you thought the other was wrong or bizarre. Maybe instead, she should have just thanked him for his offer, even if she had no interest in functioning the rest of the school day on marshmallows alone. Maybe this reason, right here, was why she was sitting next to him instead of a group of friends in the cafeteria. Maybe she just wasn't likeable.

Norma quickly shook the thought away when it started to burn her intestines. She tuned back into the moment and returned to Once-er an equally sincere pout. Hidden behind it was a silly half-smile that quickly revealed itself before she ripped away the marshmallows from his grasp. A few lost their place in the bag and wound up on the ground between them. They both stared down at them, the air filling with quiet.

"Why?" was the only word to escape Once-ler's lips. Norma forced up a nervous smile and shrugged. No big deal. Only a few men were lost. She started eating the sugary things, one at a time. She chewed slowly, pretending to thoroughly enjoy them as Once-ler just watched on. It seemed like borderline torture for him. He struggled with not launching himself at her. She was just a girl after all. It would look nothing but bad if he somehow wound up on top of her. Were marshmallows really worth the trouble he could get into?

Fifteen seconds had passed before Norma was tackled to the ground, fighting to hold onto the soft bag of squishy marshmallows. Once-ler wasn't very strong at all for a boy. He was long and lanky. Twiggy. He pinned her down only to be pushed off and away effortlessly. He landed hard on the ground beside her, groaning in pain. His pride stung more than his ribs did, though. Norma began to laugh. If salt could laugh, that would have been how it rang. It rubbed deep into his internal wounds.

"I guess these marshmallows are mine now!" she sang victoriously, jumping to her feet and preparing to make her run for it. She didn't make it very far before she found herself on the ground again. She landed flat on her face, looking back to find Once-ler's hands wrapped around her ankle. He smirked at her, his confidence returning to him. She then looked forward to realize she had lost hold of the marshmallows and they now sat flat underneath her chest. A cold sweat drizzled down her face.

"I said less than half," Once-ler growled, pulling at her foot.

"We should go to the cafeteria now," she said quickly, kicking his hands away, standing up, and brushing herself off. Once-ler released his grip on her and sat cross-legged in the dewy grassy dirt. His striped pants were covered in grass and mud stains and were damp, just like her jeans. His gaze kept moving up and down, and back and forth from her to his marshmallows. They lay on the ground, flattened. Perhaps she had broken her first heart that day. He was at a loss. He didn't _want _cafeteria food. There had been a _reason _why he had brought those marshmallows to school. He _wanted _them.

"Look," Norma began, scratching at the back of her head nervously, "I'll get you new marshmallows tomorrow. Just, co-operate, would you?"

"Why should I?"

"Well... why not?"

Once-ler squinted up at her angrily, "I barely even know you. I know you're an idea stealer, and a lunchtime stalker. Now I also know you're a marshmallow destroyer too."

"Hey! Technically _you _were the one who tripped me into flattening them!"

"Only because _you _stole them to begin with!"

Norma chose to be the one to end the argument again. Someone had to be the bigger person, and she knew it wasn't going to be him. Lunch period was halfway through now, and neither of them had eaten anything worthy of being called food. If Once-ler was going to stay stubborn, then fine. She stuck out her tongue and blew him a raspberry, turning away and marching towards the school. Even if she was going to eat alone, she still felt somewhat satisfied. She actually didn't feel alone at all.

**ooooo**

"I'm going to be honest with you... it doesn't really sound like you two were _fast _friends," Ted suddenly interrupted. To his surprise, Audrey passed him a glare. He gawked back at her, almost in a state of shock. This was possibly the most anger he had ever seen on her soft, delicate face. It was light, but he could see the slight slant in her eyebrows, and the wrinkle in her forehead. It made him uneasy.

Grammy smiled, "Oh Teddy. It was only the beginning of what would be a beautiful friendship."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Thanks for reading, my lovely readers!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 04**

Once-ler ate his squashed marshmallows slowly. He felt them squish between his teeth, a blank, but grumpy look on his face. He had no intention of wasting them, whether Norma had tried to destroy them or not. She was probably off eating a ham sandwich right now. Or a hot dog. Or maybe even French fries. Or something else that he didn't really want to be eating. He was glad to finally be able to just eat in peace. His fingers skipped around the few grass-stained marshmallows as he hummed to himself through his chewing.

"_Everybody needs a_... uh," he started to sing quietly, but abruptly stopped, trying to grasp onto words that weren't fully developed in his mind yet. It was there, but not quite. It was calling out to him from the very back of his thoughts. Something that was just so amazing, waiting to hatch. Maybe even more amazing than childbirth! This must have been what pregnant women felt like as they closed in on their due date, he thought to himself with a proud nod.

"Okay... he's eating them anyway," Norma said, seemingly to herself. Once-ler looked up from his daydreaming, mid-chew, to see her staring down on him from above. She had what looked like an egg salad sandwich in one hand, already more than half way gone. She took another bite, watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read. Almost blank. As if she was holding back a feeling. Or maybe trying to comprehend just how to express that feeling. He held her eyes in similar emotion.

Norma burst into tearful laughter. The silence was broken and the birds seemed to begin to tweet again, in unison with her giggles. Once-ler frowned. Was everyone always laughing at him? As long as he could remember he was always the laughing stock wherever he went. Comedy relief. Whether it was at home, at school, or anywhere in public. He could remember each and every time so vividly that it stung right between the ribs.

**ooooo**

Once-ler was ten when he experienced one of his first true humiliations. Anything before that had been minuscule stings now and again that he had never fully comprehended. He was in fifth grade, and completely naïve to the cruelty of the world. He skipped when he walked. He sang when he spoke. He was chipper in many aspects. He had many reasons not to be, but at this point in his life, he didn't see it.

Class time was always boring. Once-ler didn't seem to find interest in any of the subjects the teachers tried to teach him. But they kept trying to find new and different ways to entice his brain's inner workings. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn. He wanted excel and make mama proud. He just wanted to learn the things _he _wanted to know about. Where was the fault in that?

"So, the school will be introducing lunchtime clubs," the teacher began to explain that morning, "As an opportunity to learn about the different clubs we will be offering, everyone gets to choose any three they want, and over the next month participate in them for free. After the trial period is over, it'll be up to you and your parents to pay the administrative fees."

The students gave a mixed response. Some seemed excited, while others grumbled and groaned. Once-ler, on the other hand, wasn't too sure how he felt about this. He was eager to see what the selection was so he could decide which way to lean. He worried though that nothing would interest him, and then what would he choose? He didn't really know what he was interested in yet. He spent most of his time either in school, or working in the crop field at home. Hobbies? Did he have hobbies?

"Everything you and your parents need to know can be found on these forms. I'd like to see them filled in and signed by your parents as soon as tomorrow morning, class. Don't forget now. Write it down in your agendas," the teacher instructed, stepping away from her desk and passing stacks of five sheets to the student at the start of each column. They passed them back and soon enough Once-ler found himself staring at a list of thirty different options. Only ten of them would become permanent clubs. At the end of the month, students were to fill in surveys about the clubs they participated in. The activities that received the most positive feedback would remain, and be available to students at a small fee. A simple weekly _union dues _concept.

Once-ler thought on it all day. Every class he lacked focus in. He stared and stared at the sheet, looking for something to spring up at him. He wanted nothing more than for the page to tell him what he was interested in. Fill itself out for him. By his final class, the form was still as empty as it had started.

The final bell rang and all the children jumped from their seats, hurrying their ways out of the classroom. It was midwinter, so the mudroom became a crowded mess of flinging arms and legs as his peers speedily pulled on their snow suits. Once-ler waited at the entrance. He couldn't even tell where he had left his backpack and coat in the blur of people. But in no time at all, it began to clear out. Eventually all that was left was his belongings, scattered on the floor carelessly. He didn't think much of this. Typical results of a hurricane of children, right?

Once-ler pulled on his jacket and collected the few things that had somehow wound up on the floor. He placed them back into his bag and zipped it up. He changed into his boots and passed through the door to outside. A chill blew up his pant legs resulting in him instantly tucking them, as deep as he could, into his boots. He often wished he had snow pants like most of the other children his age. But his mother said if he stayed out of the snow, he wouldn't need them. That didn't quite explain why his two brothers had them and he didn't. He figured it was because they were young and a little bit dumb, and couldn't grasp the concept of not flailing in the snow. His mother must have just known he was smart enough to understand, having two years on them. He told himself this often. It comforted him enough to tolerate chilly legs.

Walking around to the front of the school, he found his younger brothers waiting, snug in their puffy and matching snow suits. They both smiled the same wicked smile when their eyes found their older brother. They darted, running towards him. Once-ler smiled back at them, kneeling and preparing for an embrace. Instead, he wound up in a nearby snow bank, pushed.

"Ha ha, now you're all wet!" they both chimed, bursting into an intense giggle fit. It was almost demonic.

"Ha ha, very funny guys..." Once-ler mumbled, pulling his aching body back upright and dusting away the snow with his gloveless hands. Brett and Chet, as they were known, ran off into the direction of home. Once-ler trudged behind, even if he felt a strong urge not to. The eight-year-olds needed some form of supervision, and it had been made his duty by his mother to make sure they got home safely each and every day. He should already be used to their pranks anyway. They were just little bullies in the making, able to get away with murder.

They made it home mostly unscathed. It was a long walk home though, and didn't go without it's bumps. Chet managed to pull him into another snow bank while pretending to want to hold his hand. Brett then proceeded to attempt to bury him before he had the chance to get up. Once-ler was starting to shiver uncontrollably by the time they made it home to their mother's farm.

"Oncie!" she exclaimed when he walked through the front door, "Am I going to have to buy you snow pants because you aren't smart enough to stay out of the snow?"

"No, mom..." he mumbled, shaking off his soaked boots. He had already learned by this point that his brothers could get away with almost anything. His mother seemed to have a deaf ear and a blind eye to their mischief. For some reason. It seemed to be the complete opposite when it came to him, though. He could get into trouble for things he never even knew happened.

"Make sure you don't track snow!" she nagged after him when he started toward his bedroom. He kept going, knowing she wasn't truly expecting a reply. Once he reached his room he stripped down, out of his wet clothes, and into his warm and dry pajamas. He instantly felt several times better. He sat himself down at the edge of his bed and pulled out his form from his backpack.

"What am I interested in..." he quietly thought aloud, looking over the many different activities. Over half of them were physical activities, like sports. Once-ler knew he wasn't interested in any of those clubs. He got enough exercise at home, tending to the crops and animals. Thus, he was left without many choices.

By the time dinner rolled around, he was still looking up and down the sheet, trying to decide. He had narrowed it down to two, which still left a third choice. He folded up the sheet and tucked it away in his front pocket, and then made his way to the dining area for supper.

"So I hear you have something for me to sign?" his mother questioned as she ladled cabbage soup into his bowl. Once-ler was truly sick of cabbage soup, but he didn't say that. He knew he just needed to be appreciative that his mother cooked at all. She made that clear enough times before.

Chet and Brett waved their forms around excitedly. They were already filled out in their messy handwriting, awaiting a signature.

"Well, yes, but I haven't finished filling it in yet," Once-ler replied with a nervous smile. His mother looked at him from above the rim of her glasses, as if silently judging him. He looked down at his soup, feeling shame in what he wasn't sure of. He took his first spoonful. Hot and tasteless.

"I didn't really think I had to tell you that you needed to apply to the same ones your brothers chose. Who's going to make sure they don't get hurt?" she sighed, rolling her eyes. She said it as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world. Like it had been plain common sense. But why hadn't Once-ler thought of that?

"Oh, okay..." he complied, quietly slurping his soup. He tried not to make the disappointment too evident in his face. His mother seemed to be able to catch even a glimpse of weakness, and it always shamed her more than anything. He put on his hardest expression and ate. It was his job to look after his brothers. It was always expected of him to put them first. Always.

After dinner, his mother began signing the forms. Brett and Chet shoved at one another to get theirs done first. Their mom simply plucked the first form that met her hands. It turned out to be Chet's, resulting in him squealing in victory. He snatched back his form and ran out of the room, flailing it around in the air proudly. Brett pouted miserably after getting his form back, and trudged off after him with his own freshly signed form. When it was Once-ler's turn, he hesitated.

"What are you waiting for? I don't have all day, Oncie," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Once-ler was tall for his age, and at ten he was already about the same height as his mother. But even at eye level, she still felt intimidating. He quickly pulled out the form, explaining in a long but rapid string of words that it was still filled out _wrong_. His mother ignored him and opened it up.

There was a silence.

"_Knitting_?" she burst into laughter. Not just any kind of laughter, either. It was terrible and cruel. The kind of laughter she and his aunt Griselda frequently shared. Like when they passed by road kill on the way into town. Once-ler always tried to look away, but the two of them laughed together about how the _stupid _animal had thought it could take on a car. It was a cackling laughter like a witch on Halloween. It was cold and it froze Once-ler down to his bones.

"Yeah..." he answered, trying to keep his cool, "I just wanted to-"

"Please Oncie, spare me. You're a boy. You're going to be a _man _someday. How can you even insult me like this?" his mother looked so disappointed in him. He felt that bubbling shame inside of his stomach again. It might have just been the soup, but he was pretty sure it was shame. Or guilt. Or pain. She started to laugh again, calling over every member of the family. It was easy for them to all join in on the laughter. His aunt Griselda laughed the loudest. Her husband, and Once-ler's mother's brother, his uncle Ubb, laughed the hardest. The twins giggled uncontrollable, shouting out cruel names meanwhile. It took no time at all for Once-ler to be the only person not laughing. He was trying anything but to burst into tears. He almost did, but ran away instead. Up the stairs and back to his room, he launched himself for his mattress and cried and cried into his pillow. Nothing had ever been good, but had it always been this bad? Once-ler tried to remember back to a time when his family had been supportive. His pillow was soaked through before he finally gave up.

The next day didn't go so well at school, either. His mother had refused to sign the form, even after he insisted over and over again that he could change it. Thus, he was forced to awkwardly explain this to the teacher that morning. He tried to keep it discreet, but children were eavesdroppers at their finest. A fellow classmate was quick to snatch his form away, and examine it. He was even quicker to flail it around in the air while blurting out Once-ler's choices across the classroom. This caused an eruption resulting in almost all his peers laughing at him, just as his family had. The teacher smiled weakly at him, and told him not to worry about it. She snatched away the page from the student and signed the form for him, selecting a third activity for him at random. Once-ler could see it in her eyes. She wanted to laugh too. She just wasn't allowed.

**ooooo**

"Wait. Wait just a second," Ted suddenly interrupted again, "Did you just flashback _within _a flashback?"

"Shhhh!"

**ooooo**

Norma could see that something was bothering Once-ler. Something much deeper than she could even fathom at the time. She stopped laughing, a pressure of guilt winding up in her chest. She finished off her sandwich in one last bite, and crouched down next to him. He watched her watch him as she chewed, uneasiness evident in his eyes. She was making him uncomfortable. She couldn't seem to help herself when she leaned over and gave him a friendly hug. It was short, but sweet.

"I'm sorry," she whispered when she pulled away. Once-ler's uneasiness was replaced with confusion. Sorry? Had anyone ever used that word before in relation to him? He wasn't even sure if he understood the feeling that she could have possibly held behind it. Her eyes were sincere though, even for someone who he had only just met. She was sorry. He forgave her.

"You can have the ones with grass stains."

Norma smiled, "Okay."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I'm pretty sure that it is canon that Brett and Chet are actually older than the Once-ler, but I had already written this chapter long before realizing that. I hope it doesn't bother too many readers. :)

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 05**

"_Everybody needs... something_," Once-ler sang, strumming along gently on his guitar. There was this melody playing inside him, and it was dying to escape. It pulled and pried at his ribcage as if it were its prison cell. It swished around in his head, and sat sweetly at the tip of his tongue. And it had this taste. It was good. No, it was better than good. It was amazing, and waiting.

Floraville high school had a system. It was a regular semester school with four periods a day. The days rotated between what was called _day one _and _day two_. The last two periods after lunch break switched places every day. Once-ler had a spare period after lunch, every other day. On the second day it was instead his last period. He preferred those days, since he could just go straight home after third period. But, today was a _day one, _and he spent it behind the school at one of the picnic tables.

Norma had followed him around during the lunch period again. It had been a week now, and he was starting to get used to her constant hacking and slashing at his pride. Sort of. Maybe he was just getting better at ignoring it, or she was getting better at being kind. Either way, her company was becoming more enjoyable. He was a little sad to see her go today. A little.

"_Oh, I am the Once-ler, and I am a loner... But I don't need anything but my dream!_" he continued to sing, fingers delicately finding the perfect notes to play along with his soft voice. Even if the lyrics were nothing but thoughts appearing in his mind as he went along, they still seemed to string together gracefully in a half-hearted melody.

"_I'll knit the most amazing thing... Something everyone is going to need..._"

And with that, Once-ler tossed his guitar to the ground, and pulled his backpack up onto the table from by his feet. He shuffled through it and pulled out a few things. His sketchpad, his knitting needles, and his ball of yarn were now stacked up on the picnic table. He opened up to the last page he had scribbled in, and analyzed it carefully. He then began a knit two, purl two pattern with quick and trained fingers. Time left him, then.

Once-ler never got bored while knitting. His eyes never searched for something to look at. His mind never wandered to other things. He always fixated on the knitting. Knit one, knit two, and purl one, purl two. The pattern repeated in his head like a chant. His fingers never slipped up too much. When they did, he didn't get angry. He went back and fixed it. He became the knitting. Whatever it was. Whatever it was going to be. This thing that he knew everyone was going to need…

"I had a feeling I would find you here," was the first thing Once-ler heard when reality rushed back to him. It was as cold as a wave from the ocean. He felt goose bumps rise up along his arms. He looked up to find that Norma was sitting next to him, eyeing his pink and fluffy project. She had lied though, but he didn't know it. She had checked the sign up front first, having had the feeling he would be _there_, if anywhere. Instead, he lingered here, creating what she speculated was a scarf. Of some sort.

"Wait a minute..." Once-ler whispered when the moment became clear to him, "If you're here, then doesn't that mean..."

"School's over, buddy."

Once-ler took a look around, seeing that the area had become much livelier since the last time he had paid any attention. His eyes widened in pure disbelief and he screamed, stuffing away everything he had out on the picnic table back into his bag. He felt a pressure now, like all eyes were on him. Peers walked by and gave him sideways glances. He didn't like it. He didn't want it.

"Did you skip your last period class?" Norma asked, a little shocked to realize he had been there since the two of them had said their goodbyes at the end of lunch break. She had already suspected as much, though. She had darted from her own last period class to Once-ler's classroom when the final bell had rung just to wish him a good weekend, but he had been nowhere to be found.

"N-no. It can't be after fourth period already," he looked up at Norma with desperation, "'You must be just on your way to fourth right now! Right?"

Norma grimaced a bit, feeling bad that she couldn't lie to him like she knew he wanted her to. She shook her head slowly, and was almost certain that Once-ler was about to cry. He didn't though. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and instead, he threw a minuscule fit, stomping upright and right away.

"Who needs math..." he grumbled under his breath to no one but himself. Norma frowned. Could anyone really get so enthralled in something like knitting that they could completely miss the school bell? That loud, obnoxious, and almost vibrating school bell? That bell?

Norma began to follow after him. A few steps and she felt gravity push her down to the ground alongside a thundering _twang_. She let out a cry and wound up on her hands and knees, all freshly skinned. When she looked back to see what had tripped her, she found what she did not expect. A guitar lay haphazardly on the ground, still pulsating painful notes. How had she not seen that? On another note, where had this guitar materialized from? She picked it up and pulled the strap across her chest, eyeing Once-ler suspiciously from the distant. She ran to catch up.

"Once-ler?" she called out loudly. He abruptly stopped walking, possibly for the first time in all the times she had called after him, and turned around in acknowledgment. Before he had a chance to speak he pinched his lips back together upon seeing his guitar on her back.

"Do you play?" Norma asked when she reached him. Her eyes twinkled. He shrugged awkwardly. He always kept any sort of hobbies he had to himself nowadays. They were always wrong or stupid to everyone else. But Norma wasn't looking at him the same way everyone else did. Her eyes were wide and full of questions. She wore a wide grin that was starting to take over her face. Once-ler looked down at her and felt feelings he had never known. It was almost like pride.

"No really, do you?" Norma was starting to sound excited, staring at him with childlike wonder.

Once-ler scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Sort of."

Norma beamed. She ripped away the guitar from herself and shoved it violently into his chest. She wanted to hear him play. Right. Now.

"There are people around..." Once-ler responded to her excessive amount of interest, almost dropping the guitar when she forced it onto him. He wasn't about to put on a show for everyone. Or her. He only played for himself. No one wanted to hear it. She pouted, but he turned away.

"Oh come on. So what? I bet you're secretly super talented. _Weirdoes _are always super talented," Norma claimed. Another sting jolted through his heart. He sped up. He wasn't in the mood to be mocked.

"I say that in a _takes-one-to-know-one _context," she quickly added, as if that was going to make it any better. It kind of did.

"Are you trying to say you are secretly amazingly talented in something?" Once-ler laughed, slowing down enough for Norma to catch up. They were walking side by side now, down the sidewalk in a direction Norma had never needed to go before. The opposite direction of home. The opposite direction of the town. The opposite direction of _everything_. But her feet kept treading along next to him.

"Well... I'm still working on it," she replied, a little red in the face. There was music inside of her, she knew that much. She just didn't know what _kind _of music. There were so many ways to display music that it seemed difficult to choose just one medium. She wanted to be able to play and sing anything. Everything! She wanted to live and breathe music. Eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But, at this point in her life, she only knew how to read, write, and sing music. No instrument had ever became well acquainted with her fingers.

"Well, I only play for fun," Once-ler admitted, swinging the guitar to his back and continuing his slower than usual pace for Norma's sake.

That wasn't good enough, "Then I'd love to hear you play for fun!"

"No."

"Oh come on. Give me one good reason as to why not?"

"Because..."

"Are you just shy?" Norma accused, handing out a squinted glare his direction.

"Are you just annoying?" he squinted back.

Norma didn't reply. She almost did, but she closed her mouth and shifted her eyes forward. Where were they even going? She didn't really need to ask. She was pretty certain Once-ler was going home, and she was just following him. Kind of creepy, but she shook it off. They continued on for a long time in silence, only to the sound of their footsteps and the vehicles passing by. It was quickly proving to be a much longer walk than the walk to her house. It seemed no one else went this way, either. Away from the direction of the main street. Away from the busiest part of town. She started to want to ask anyway.

"Once-ler, where are we going?" she finally spoke up.

"I know where I'm going, but I'm not too sure where you're going," he answered coolly. There was a certain lack of feeling in his voice that she hadn't heard yet, since she had met him. Usually, his tone made it pretty obvious how he was feeling. This was different. This was intimidating.

Norma felt a pinch in her throat that made it hard to reply. A certain nervousness that enveloped her vocal cords and minimized her vocabulary. A fear came over. A fear that lacked definition, but still managed to coil in your blood and make your hair rise up. Her stomach churned.

"Well..." she started, but stumbled on her own thoughts. Maybe this was just like Abigail. Maybe Once-ler and Norma were only friends in certain situations. Certain situations that only happened at school, and they were far beyond school boundaries at this point.

The walk went back to silence as they went further and further away from the parts of town she knew. Houses and businesses weren't so condensed anymore. More grassy places and undeveloped areas speckled the scenery. By this point they had been walking for thirty minutes and Norma was starting to get tired and hungry. She started to imagine her after school snack, waiting for her. It was probably worried by this point. Wait, what was she thinking? It was her _mom _that was probably worried.

"Is there a rest stop?" she groaned sarcastically, more to herself than to him. She wasn't expecting an answer, but a sigh escaped him, and he didn't take any more steps forward. He gazed around, and then marched away from the sidewalk to the grassy bits. He sat down. Norma followed without question. There was no one else around. Just the two of them, sitting in the grass. It was a lot like how they spent their lunch periods. The familiarity brought about comfort. There was a difference, though. Norma felt something that made it harder than usual to rip through the awkwardness with her sound waves. It was quiet and it seemed like that was the way it was going to stay.

A breeze tossed Once-ler's black bangs into his eyes and he brushed them away. It was nice out here, but he was just stalling. He knew what was waiting for him at home. He could tell that Norma could sense his tension and he tried to soften his expression.

"Can you play?" he asked, pulling his guitar strap over his shoulder and handing the instrument over to her. She took it, but shook her head.

"In theory," she answered. That's all she had. Theory. She studied music all her life, but she had never picked up and played an instrument. She sang every now and again, but that was the fullest extent of her music creation. She knew how to read music. She knew how to write music. She understood everything technical there was about music, or so she believed. The words and all their definitions. The symbols and all their meanings. She could usually guess a note just by hearing it. But actually make music? No... never.

"Well, in theory, I can't play either," he retorted, smiling a half smile.

"In theory, you wouldn't be carrying around your guitar if you couldn't play something on it."

"Maybe I just know it'll make girls follow me home, since every girl likes a boy with a guitar," he teased, nudging her with his elbow. Norma blushed deep scarlet, and tossed his guitar to the ground so she could cross her arms over her chest. It moaned a few notes on impact.

"It's nothing like that at all," she huffed. No really. It really wasn't.

"I know," he smiled. He put his aching guitar back over his shoulder and stood up. Norma watched him straighten up his clothes and dust away the dirt and grass from his tush. They had only been sitting for five minutes and it was already time to continue? She pulled herself reluctantly away from the ground and followed suit.

"Maybe you should really go home," Once-ler said, uneasiness becoming evident, "I mean, we're almost at my house, and I don't really think my mom will take too kindly to an unexpected visitor."

"Oh..."

"It's not that I don't think it'd be cool for you to come over or anything," Once-ler tried to sound like a typical teenager, "I just know my mom is a little strict about these things."

Norma could hear the falseness in his voice. He wasn't saying something, but she was a little afraid she didn't really want to know what that was. Maybe he just wanted her to go away. It was the weekend after all, so he really shouldn't have to deal with her now. Or maybe his mom was crazy. Maybe she was a hermit, locked away in her house on the outskirts of town, with a huge distaste for strangers. Or maybe he was embarrassed of having a female friend. Parents were always jumping to conclusions if you spent any time at all with the opposite gender. Or maybe he was just being reasonable, and she wasn't being reasonable at all.

"Hey... why do you look so upset?" Once-ler asked, confusedly pushing his lips to one side. Norma realized she was staring at her feet and looked up quickly. She smiled back at him. She was just over-thinking this.

"No, I'm fine. It's kind of crazy I walked with you this far!" she exclaimed, looking around the unfamiliar territory. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure if she remembered quite how to get back home. Was that last turn they made a right or a left? Had they even turned at all? She felt scrambled and lost and it started to weigh heavily on her shoulders. Once-ler quickly detected this.

"Nevermind, come on. You can use my phone."

And with that, they walked the rest of the way to his home. It was only ten more minutes, but ten exhausting minutes. Norma had thoughts running miles a minute as she wondered how Once-ler's mom was going to react upon seeing her. She started worrying about how worried her own mother must have been. Norma always went straight home, and her house was barely a crosswalk away. This was beyond unusual for the seventeen year old.

Once-ler lived in a big house on a farm. At first, Norma felt bad for him, living so far away from civilization. But, it was beautiful in some ways. She was a little in awe when they finally came upon it. Once-ler didn't notice. He just opened the front door and waited for the inevitable.

"Oncie, is that you?" a shout came from the depths of his home. Norma giggled at _Oncie_. Once-ler didn't react though. He waited because he knew just how upset his mother was about to be with him.

"Yes, mom. It's me. But... before you say anything, I'd like to let you know, it was a complete accident!" he called back.

"Accident?" Norma questioned with a blink. She wasn't sure what could have been an accident. Was she the accident? The fear in Once-ler's tone was starting to make Norma feel like she was in a horror movie. Her imagination exploded like a gun shot.

Once-ler's mother stormed into the hallway, face twisted up angrily, "If you are ever going to amount to anything - _anything at all _- you can't be skipping classes! Especially the important ones!"

"I know. I know, mom. I just-" he tried to defend himself.

"I am so disappointed in you, Oncie. Do you know how it makes me look when you don't go to class? The teachers think it's because I'm a bad mother, when it's just because you are a brat," she interrupted, the anger leaving her face. It now looked like shame more than anything. Once-ler cringed. He was always shaming his mother.

"And please. Please don't tell me you wasted the time knitting or making a racket with that guitar of yours."

"I... didn't," he lied. Once-ler looked over awkwardly at Norma. She was starting to feel very uncomfortable witnessing this. This was not where she was supposed to be. His mother followed his eyes to Norma. Upon contact, Norma froze up in terror. His mother's face softened a little.

"And who are _you_?" she asked as if the words tasted bad on her tongue. Norma hesitated.

"She just needs to use the phone," Once-ler quickly intervened, grabbing a hold of one of Norma's hands and pulling her away. His mother didn't follow after or respond. She didn't seem to even care.

"I'm sorry about that," was all he said when they reached the kitchen. He then handed her his telephone and not another word was exchanged between them. Not until Norma's mother showed up in her jalopy. They had waited outside in silence. When her mother honked the horn for her, she turned to Once-ler and tried to smile. She didn't know what to say, so she just hugged him a friendly hug and waved goodbye.

"I'll see you Monday," he said, forcing up a smile in return. It was touching, but sad. Norma had a wild imagination, and feared just what she was leaving him alone to face. But, the worst of it seemed to be the way it made him feel inside. She could see his heartache. He wore it on his sleeve. It broke her heart to see it.

As she got into the car, she ignored her mother's wild questioning. Words were being shot at her miles a minute, but she didn't hear them. She was blank. She was more concerned with what she would do come Monday to cheer up Once-ler.

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><p><strong>AN:** Another chapter. Thanks to all my lovely readers and reviewers!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 06**

Norma sat at the kitchen table come Saturday morning, quietly eating her apple-cinnamon oatmeal. She thought about the day before as she ate, slowly chewing what really needed not to be chewed. Her mom sat across from her, trudging her way through the newspaper. Every story seemed to receive a verbal response out of her. A _tsk _here and a _sigh _there. A few _oh-my-goshes _and an elongated _aw_. She looked up and at her daughter from the frames of her reading glasses.

"So, do you want to explain what went on yesterday yet? You haven't said a word since I picked you up! I'm worried," her mother finally questioned, breaking into the silence. Norma met her eyes mid-chew, swallowing down her food quickly to respond. But then she didn't. She wasn't exactly sure _what _happened yesterday. She didn't know how to explain why she had followed Once-ler so far out. It had been crazy, and she knew it. It had gone far beyond what her common sense and reasoning would have ever instructed. It just seemed to have happened. She truly feared that her mom believed she had lost her mind, and was prepared to drag her off to the psych ward.

"You weren't kidnapped, were you?" her mother worried out loud, looking up into her thoughts.

"No mom!" Norma quickly denied, "It was nothing like that."

"Then what was it like?"

Norma couldn't hold her gaze. She looked away and back to her lukewarm oatmeal.

"Look," her mom began, extending her hand to Norma's, "I'm your mom. You can tell me anything! Even if you did stalk this boy all the way out to his home in the sticks, I wouldn't love you any less! Hey, I may even understand because he _was _kind of cute."

"Mom!" Norma turned red. It was definitely nothing like _that_.

"I'm just trying to make you want to tell me what actually happened," her mother quickly confessed with a giggle. It wasn't working. Norma wanted to talk about it even less now. She stood up and brought her dish to the sink, rinsing it out with water from the faucet. She watched the uneaten oatmeal swirl down the drain. Truthfully, she was still worried about Once-ler and nothing else. What if his mother was abusive? Or maybe it was a _wait-until-your-father-gets-home _kind of situation. Norma had read enough newspaper articles and seen enough television to know about the awful things parents could do to their children for the littlest of reasons. Norma shuddered.

"If I accidentally missed a class because I was distracted by… let's say a really _interesting _hobby, what would you do?" Norma asked theoretically. Her mother looked back at her, baffled by the question.

"Did you skip school to go to that boy's house?" she replied with her own question.

"No! I'm just… I'm curious about how you would react," Norma quickly stammered. What was with parents and always jumping to conclusions?

"Well, I'd probably ask you about it and tell you to be a little more careful because school is so important. You've never skipped class before though, so I'd know it was just a mistake. On the other hand, I'd wonder what could be so distracting that you missed an entire class for it."

"Mmm… what about knitting?"

Norma's mom didn't reply. She studied her daughter carefully. Thinking, maybe. Rolling around the idea in her mind, trying to find a place where it would click in. It didn't.

"You knit?"

"No..." Norma bit down on her lip and tried to shake off the awkwardness she had created. She quickly decided it wasn't her place to be talking about Once-ler's hobbies with her mother. He didn't even seem to want to discuss them with her yet. If ever. He was so reserved. He didn't seem very interested in sharing anything about himself. Maybe it was because of his mother. Maybe the way she thought so lowly of the things he enjoyed made him cautious.

"Well, aren't you're being very secretive today," her mother finally said with a smile, not pressing, "I was your age once, you know. When the time comes, I know you'll talk to me about it. No pressure."

Norma smiled back, "Thanks mom. I guess you're pretty cool that way."

"Damn right I am!"

With that, Norma excused herself from the kitchen and headed up the stairs, and to her bedroom. She toppled over onto her bed and pondered. It was 10:00 AM. The whole weekend lay before her, ready to be experienced. Instead, she plastered herself to her bed sheets, waves of anxiety pulsating throughout her entire being. Why was she so worried? She must have lived such a sheltered life. She'd never seen a parent be so harsh before. It was eating her, and she so desperately wanted to do something – _anything _- to make it better. But it would be Monday before she got to see Once-ler again. What could she possibly do?

A thought dawned on her. It thumped hard inside her head, and she sat upright instantly. _Caller ID_!

Rushing back down the stairs, Norma practically lunged for the kitchen telephone. Her mother didn't even look up from her newspaper this time. Norma scrolled through the call history and found what she was looking for. She hit talk and waited through the ringing.

"Hello?" a woman's voice replied after the fourth ring. Norma instantly recognized it as Once-ler's mother. She could hear the irritability in her tone. She felt afraid.

"H-hi," Norma greeted nervously, walking out of the kitchen for privacy, "I was hoping I could speak with Once-ler?"

"Oncie? Uh huh. I _guess_. Make it snappy though. I don't have call waiting."

Norma waited silently in her foyer, listening as Once-ler's mother let out a horrifying screech for him. It was maybe two and a half minutes before the rummaging noise of someone picking up the phone finally sounded.

"Hello...?" he sounded very cautious and confused. Norma felt a grin spread onto her face. At least no one had violently murdered him.

"Once-ler! Hi!"

"Norma...? Is that you? Why are you calling me...?" the confusion remained in his voice.

"Well... I just wanted to make sure everything was okay..." she answered awkwardly. It was kind of weird that she was calling him, wasn't it?

"Oh," he said with a pause, "Yeah, everything's fine."

"That's good."

The line went silent, both participants unsure of what to say. It was unusual for either of them to talk to anyone on the telephone. They were such social cripples, but Norma was the only one of in denial about it. Once-ler accepted that trait oabout himself openheartedly.

"Are you having a good morning?" she tried to steer the conversation, but sounded awkward.

"I guess," was all he replied. Norma bit down onto her lip again. How could she make this not weird?

"Hey! I have an idea! Did you want to maybe meet up and just, like, hang out?" she exclaimed. He stayed quiet.

"I'll buy you lunch," she persuaded.

"Again with trying to buy my friendship, huh?" he laughed a little, some of the discomfort leaving his voice. Norma felt a small victory.

"Come on! Meet me in front of the school and we'll go from there!"

"Well... I don't know," he shuffled with his thoughts.

"And bring your guitar! I'll be waiting!"

"Why my gui-" Norma clicked off the phone before he could decline. That left him with no other choice, right? She returned the phone to its cradle, happily skipping back up to her room to get ready. This was going to be amazing! Spending a Saturday outside with someone other than her mom? This was going to be more than just amazing! Words couldn't truly describe how she was feeling.

She was showered and dressed within the hour, her hair straight and sleek like she had made it every day since Monday. Her excitement fueled her back down the stairs, and past her mom. Her mom smiled, but she missed it. She was so happy to see Norma with a friend. A little worried of what mischief it may bring, but, she was seventeen after all. She was due to get into a little trouble finally.

"Bye mom, I'll be home at some point!" she called out before closing the front door behind her. She rushed down the sidewalk, a childish prance in her step. She felt like she could fly, if she wanted to. She told herself that she didn't want to though, and continued on foot. She met with the crosswalk and hopped slightly between her feet, waiting for the light to change. This energy couldn't be wasted. When the walking man appeared, she ran across the street and positioned herself directly in front of the school's main enterance. Once-ler would be here soon. She wanted to scream, but she didn't. She wanted to dance, but she didn't. She needed to play it cool, or she would come across as way too desperate. On the other hand, if Once-ler hadn't already been scared away, what more could she do?

"Norma..." he greeted quietly when he reached her. She had been facing the other way, and jumped to the sound of his voice. She swiftly turned on her heels and greeted him with the tightest hug she could have mustered. He groaned in response, feeling his ribs grind against each other.

"Hi! Oh wow, you actually came!" Norma cheered after freeing him. She hadn't dared think it until now, but she had been worried he wouldn't show. What reason did he really have to obey and bend to her will?

"Yeah..." he answered awkwardly, staring down at his feet. Outside of the setting of class, Once-ler felt uncomfortable. He never left his house on weekends, except to tend to the animals and plants. He couldn't think of a time when he had needed to. Walking here had felt the same as walking to school, but now that they stood in front of it with no intention of going inside, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He fiddled around with his guitar strap.

"And you brought your guitar!" Norma exclaimed when her eyes followed the motion of his fingers. She was picking up on his discomfort, and she could start to feel it too. She just wanted nothing more than to try her hardest to make this as normal as possible.

"Well, you told me to..."

"But wouldn't you assume that the only reason I'd ask you to bring it was to make you play for me?" she squinted her eyes up at him.

"Well, it's good to have dreams," he squinted back with a lopsided smirk. Norma laughed and suddenly grabbed a hold of his hand. The scene froze as such, with her holding onto his hand and him staring between her grasp and her glance. Before he could ask or pull away, she began to run, dragging him along behind her. He struggled a little bit, and let out a feminine yelp when she began darting across the street before the light. It wasn't too difficult to overpower him though. It was like fighting with a chihuahua.

"Are you trying to kill us?!" he exclaimed when they reached the safety of the sidewalk on the other side of the street. He was only being dramatic, Norma thought. She didn't even reply. She continued to tug him along the sidewalk. She then proceeded to stray from the pavement and cut through a grassy field. They ended up at her neighbourhood park in only minutes.

Once-ler looked around the playground. It was Saturday and bustling with children of all ages. He didn't feel right just waltzing in on them, the two of them being borderline adults. Norma didn't seem to have similar feelings. She pulled him until they were about dead center in the madness. A screaming four-year-old ran by, nearly tripping over his feet.

"What are we doing here?" he asked nervously, pulling his feet in closer together. Norma didn't answer. She was looking around as if trying to find someone or something. There wasn't much free space. The park was almost at capacity. Where could the two of them be?

"Okay," she whispered. She reattached herself to Once-ler's hand and began leading him once more. Away from the park, he sighed with relief. Up the hill next to the park, he cringed as he tripped again and again on the steepness. But she kept pulling even as he tried to regain his footing. She didn't let go until the two of them stood atop the grassy hill overlooking the playground. A gentle breeze tossed their hair and wrinkled their clothes. Suddenly the madness below them didn't seem so bad. He felt himself breathe.

"Isn't this the perfect place to play for me?" Norma drew in breath as she spoke.

"Wouldn't that be kind of romantic," he replied in a similar soft tone, laced in sarcasm. Norma filled her cheeks with air, not taking his joke well. He smiled. The smile cracked in seconds and turned into a big laugh. He found perfect amusement in the stubbornness of this girl. He let himself fall to his bottom, crossing his legs over one another.

"You know, I think a guy could play music for a girl without it having to be all mushy gushy _easily_," Norma informed, eyebrows twitching downwards. She sat herself down in the grass as well, leaving approximately a meter between them.

"I don't know. I may have a few _mushy gushy _love songs up my sleeves."

"Oh really?" Norma's eyebrows rose back up, "Could I request one?"

Once-ler's smile faded quickly, "I actually can't play any real songs..."

"What?" Norma became confused. If you carried around a guitar but you couldn't play any songs... what did you play?

"I told you yesterday. I only play for fun," Once-ler reinformed uncomfortably. He slid his guitar around his body, from his back to his lap. He met Norma's eyes but then quickly looked away to his fingers as he placed them slowly and delicately upon the frets. He paused, thinking carefully about whatever he was about to play. Norma's eyes widened in anticipation. She wasn't sure what was about to come out of him, but she knew - just knew – it would be something amazing. She could see it in the way he gracefully held the instrument, as though it were a baby being cradled in his arms. Even this moment forever would have been beautiful enough.

Once-ler began to strum. Nothing she had ever heard before. Just notes upon notes, dancing together in the air.

"_Na, na, nananana_..." he started to sing half-heartedly. This caught Norma off-guard. She had never expected or requested any singing. But this was okay. As he got more and more into it, his voice became stronger and more confident. He didn't sing any real words, though. Lots of _nas _and _las_, but they flowed nicely with his melody somehow. Almost as though he knew exactly what he was performing, and wasn't making it up as he went along. But he was. Once-ler didn't know any music theory or how to read and write music. He knew how to play what he wanted to play, but never understanding the complexity behind it. He played by ear.

"Wow," Norma muttered throughout his little song. Not only did his skill captivate her, but also the way his face and voice had morphed. It almost seemed as though he had completely broken out of his shell mid-song, and was now just singing to her because he wanted to. He had a grin on his face and he _la-l_a'd all the way to the very end. When the last note finished vibrating, and the hilltop fell silent, his face turned beet red.

"That was amazing!" Norma practically screamed. Sure, lyric-wise, it wasn't much, but his amazing fingers on those perfect notes. and his energetic voice wrapping around them in ribbons… it had been a masterpiece in the making. She was gawking, possibly officially madly in love with him in that way that occurs between best friends. He didn't meet her gaze though. Instead, he hyperventilated a little bit upon the realization of just how carried away he had just gotten. She couldn't resist herself though. She ended up pouncing him to the ground in a violent embrace.

"We are going to do amazing things," she whispered. Once-ler was on his back, trying not to groan in response to the pain of having his guitar jammed between his ribs and a girl. He then focused, and realized just what she had said. _We_. He looked up to the sky, thinking about all the amazing things _he _wanted to accomplish, and if there truly was any room for _we_.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Na na, nananana...

Thanks again for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 07**

"What had you meant by that?" Ted questioned, his eyes wide with curiosity when Grammy paused with suspense. He and Audrey had been listening to her tale for hours now. It didn't seem to be drawing to a conclusion anytime soon, either. She smiled at him the same way she always did.

"Well, I had dreams, Teddy. To make beautiful music. But, I was limited in skill. The Once-ler had just what I needed. With my knowledge and his skill... I imagined we could create masterpieces," she explained thoughtfully, rolling around the memory in her head.

"You both filled in for what the other lacked!" Audrey summed it up blissfully. Grammy nodded, opening her mouth to start again, but was interrupted. The chirping of the cuckoo clock sounded, closing in on four in the afternoon. How already so much time had passed, Ted didn't know.

"Gee, it's getting late..." Audrey stated solemnly. Her parents were expecting her home for dinner. She didn't want to have to go. She was so enthralled in the story, at the edge of the sofa with anticipation. Her head swirled with romance and theories of how the story would possibly end. She wouldn't even be able to sleep that night, replaying it over and over again in her daydreams.

"The story can wait," Grammy said with a grin, "Come on back tomorrow and we will continue."

Audrey had to peel herself reluctantly away from the sofa, dragging her feet to the front door. They all said their good byes, Ted trying to prolong it with extra adverbs and adjectives. He watched longingly as she walked down the walkway, turning one more time to wave a final goodbye for the night. She was gone shortly after, out of sight. Grammy patted his shoulder firmly.

"You'll get her," she hissed, walking slowly away and back to her arm chair.

"Wh-what?" he blurted out, scarlet deepening in his face. She laughed. How Ted still thought no one knew about his affection towards Audrey was baffling, but amusing. He followed after her, spurting out various forms of denial, returning to his place on the sofa across from her.

Ted examined his grandmother carefully. It was hard not to see her in a different light after hearing so much from when she was younger. But in some ways, her stubbornness and touch of attitude still came out even to this day. She was different, but yet still the same. When she spoke of the past, it was as if she was talking about yesterday. He couldn't imagine speaking so carefully and precisely about his childhood in fifty years from now. He couldn't expect being able to vividly describe his breakfast cereal from that morning. On the other hand, he had no idea just how often these memories may have replayed in Grammy's thoughts. Audrey was so positive and giddy to hear more, but Ted was starting to become uneasy.

"The story doesn't have a happy ending, does it..." he thought out loud. If it did, then would any of the Once-ler's story have ever happened?

"Teddy, no matter how it ends, it was a happy ending because I wound up with you and your mom," she replied, smiling warmly, "It's the things that happen in your life that shape you and make you who you are."

Ted held onto these words that night as he tried to fall to sleep. One day he would tell his grandchildren about how he helped save the trees. They would interrupt a lot, and probably get bored less than half way through, and maybe not even believe him. Either way, he would give that same piece advice.

The next morning, Ted awoke to a beautiful sound. It tingled in his ears, and made his heart flutter just a bit. He opened his eyes and found Audrey staring down at him. She was continuously repeating his name and shaking him from the shoulders. He closed his eyes back up. A dream.

"Get up, you sleepy head!" she exclaimed with a laugh, shaking him a little more violently than before. His eyelids snapped back and his spine stiffened up into a seated position. He wanted to scream but he tried to keep his composure. He also tried desperately to ignore the fact she was seeing him in his pajamas.

"Audrey... hey. Fancy seeing you here," he laughed nervously, pulling his bed sheets closer to his body. The awkwardness of the situation suddenly dawned on both of their thoughts.

"This is weird," she whispered flatly, suddenly ripping her hands away from him.

"Nah..." he tried to lie, but couldn't sound very convincing.

"I just, was so excited to hear more of the story that I ran over as soon as I woke up! Your grandma told me you were still asleep, but gave me permission to wake you, so..."

"Oh no, nothing wrong with that," he continued to lie. No, nothing at all.

"Okay... good!" she easily shook off the guilt and grabbed a hold of him once more. Before he knew it, he was being dragged, forcibly, out of bed, out of his room, and down the stairs. He let out a few yelps but it didn't seem to make a difference. Audrey was bent into getting the rest of the story out of Grammy. Right. Now.

"Good morning Ted!" Grammy cheered with laughter when he tumbled into the room after Audrey. Ted grumbled a greeting. This really wasn't how he imagined waking up to Audrey would be like in his detailed fantasies of their grownup life together.

"So tell us, what happened next?" Audrey chirped, finding her place on the sofa just where she was yesterday.

"Wait wait wait. Can't I at least change? Or eat breakfast?" Ted questioned abruptly. Both Grammy and Audrey just looked at him silently. They're expressions were blank. Ted felt himself beginning to sweat in anxiety.

"I guess not."

"So, where were we? Things were a little different between the Once-ler and I after that day on the hill," Grammy began, closing her eyes to watch her memories like a movie, "We became incredibly close, incredibly fast."

**ooooo**

They were on top of the hill again. It seemed to be the best place for them to just be. It became the place they went together after school and on the weekends. It was Norma and Once-ler's hilltop.

"Would you teach me how to play guitar if I teach you how to read music?" Norma pestered for the third time that afternoon.

Once-ler sighed, "How can I teach you to play when I don't even know what I'm playing?"

"How did you learn?"

"I picked it up and have been BSing my way around it ever since."

"Aww, come on... There has to be more to it than that," she whined, plucking at a few strings on his guitar. They were sitting cross legged, side by side in the grass. She held his guitar in her lap, trying to produce something even half as pretty as he was able to just _naturally_. There had been no luck so far. She squeaked in frustration.

Once-ler had his drawing book balanced on one knee as he sketched. They had told each other they'd work on their project from business class, but, it took only five minutes for them to toss their work aside and go about the things they actually wanted to do. He felt he was too close to a revelation to be focusing on anything else anyhow.

"So," Norma sang with a slightly horrible strum, "What are you working on in that drawing book of yours anyway?" She had never actually asked before. He spent a lot of class time in it, and a lot of their time together as well. He still kept it pretty secretive, but she caught glimpses every now and again. He looked over at her stubbornly.

"What's it to you?" he huffed. As always, whenever talk of his sketchbook came up, he closed it and stuffed it back into his backpack.

"Well, you always look so focused when you're drawing. Makes me curious," she explained, followed by another screeching _twang_.

"Here's _my _question: how can someone so knowledgeable in music theory create such horrifying noise?"

Once-ler received a viciously hard punch to his forearm for that one. He couldn't help but laugh, though, as her face reddened. It took less than a minute for him to realize how much it had hurt.

"_Ow_," he then muttered as it began to throb violently. He rubbed his oncoming bruise, a puppy eyed pout forming on his face.

"Oh, don't even look at me like that. You deserved it," Norma replied to his pushed up bottom lip. He pressed it out further in punctuation, but she only looked away. She wasn't a sap for those sorts of things.

"Anyway, you avoided the question," she persisted, continuing to try to make a nice sound come out of his reluctant guitar. This time, Once-ler was the one to look away. He hadn't shared his ideas with anyone so far. It wasn't a complete thought yet, anyway. He still had a lot of things to figure out, and he didn't need someone asking him a bunch of questions he didn't know the answers to yet. Especially Norma, possibly the biggest questioning downer he had ever met. No offense.

"Do I need to bribe you with food?"

"Is that always your last resort?" he sighed.

"I may have some marshmallows stowed away in my backpack."

Once-ler lowered his eyelids into a squinted stare, "Do you really think I am that weak?"

Norma smiled wickedly, beginning to unzip her bag. She watched him watch her as she slowly moved her hand around inside of it. When she felt what she was looking for, she let it sit in her fingers for a few extra seconds, just to add to the suspense. He continued to glare back at her blankly. With a quick snap of her wrist, a little plastic baggie of mini marshmallows jumped out of her bag and between the two of them. Once-ler's eyes shifted to them.

"They're tiny," was all he said.

"Yeah… and?" Norma questioned back, "They're still marshmallows!"

"Yeah, but… they're _tiny _marshmallows," he didn't sound very impressed. He picked up the baggie and looked them over closely. They looked just like the marshmallows he liked to eat, but, miniature. They were about a square inch each in size, and probably two chews and a swallow. He put them back down into the grass.

"I'm afraid if you want to get any information out of me, you will have to do better than that."

"What?" Norma exclaimed, irritated. She snatched the marshmallows away and stuffed them back into her knapsack. She was thoroughly offended by his reaction. The only reason she had those marshmallows in the first place was for him. She had even pestered her mom to buy them for her. Sure, she had brought them that day to give to him for _free_… but if he was going to be like that, then he wouldn't get any marshmallows at all. She went back to trying to make music, ignoring his presence entirely.

"You know, that was an opening, right?" Once-ler said after a few moments of her strumming angrily on his guitar and him cringing.

Norma silenced the instrument, "For what?"

"Offer me something better, and maybe I will tell you what I'm drawing."

She thought about this. Something better? How many times had she offered to take him out to eat and he declined? Food didn't really seem to be his weakness. Not even marshmallows, and he seemed to live off of those. As a matter of fact, she wasn't sure if she had ever seen him eat anything else. So, from what she knew about Once-ler, how could she strike him a deal he couldn't refuse? And then it hit her.

"Get up, get up, _get up_," she repeated, standing up and dusting herself off, "We have somewhere we have to go before our moms are expecting us home."

Once-ler looked up, confused. Norma slipped into her backpack, and swung his guitar around to her back. She looked back down at him, her eyes asking specifically why he was still sitting. He followed suit, standing up, over a foot above her height, and shrugging his school bag over his shoulders. Where were they going? Damned if he knew. Norma grabbed a hold of him, as she often did, and began to run.

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><p><strong>AN:** Another chapter. I should have given warning that this fanfic is pretty slow and slice-of-life.

Thanks for reading/reviewing! I love you all. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 08**

"What."

"I have twenty bucks that you can spend on whatever you want here," Norma repeated bluntly, for about the fourth time. She had lost her enthusiasm after having to represent the offer so many times. She and Once-ler stood in the long, _long_ knitting aisle of the local art store. The section took up nearly a quarter of the entire store. Once-ler beamed, eyes trying to take in everything all at once. There were so many different types of yarn. Different textures. Different colours. Different weights. Knitting needles of all sizes and styles. He desperately tried to hold onto his excitement.

"What makes you think I even want yarn..." he heard his own voice cracking under the pressure of the scream inside him that wanted so desperately to escape. He knew this wasn't the average reaction, so he tried to play it cool. The bubbling inside of him made his limbs tingle, but he tried to suppress it. He started to feel carbonated. He bit his lips together to withhold his grin.

Norma could see the struggle within him as his denial and his excitement fought it out for dominance of his nervous system. She couldn't help but giggle at the silly expressions twisting up on his face, "Please, just go ahead and let loose."

Once-ler let a few of his bubbles go in the form of little excited squeaks. Norma didn't lose any respect for him like he assumed she would have, though. In all truth, his masculinity was never _not_ in question. But with that, he was off, running down the aisle like kid in a candy store. He was all the way at the other end before Norma could catch back up to him.

"Wait a second. There is a catch," she informed with a sly smile. Once-ler's eyes were darting around, making no initiative to even pretend he was paying any attention. His hand found its way to a ball of blue fluffy yarn, a sense of sensuality taking over his face. He was thinking hard about it. Norma wasn't sure why, but there was something amazing about seeing a boy care so much about something like the texture of a ball of yarn. Maybe it was weird. Maybe it made people frequently question his sexuality. But it didn't feel so wrong to her. She touched a different ball of yarn and tried to experience every bit of it through her fingertips. She envied the joy he felt that she couldn't seem to find.

She shook her thoughts back to the present, "I'll only buy the yarn if you tell me about your sketchpad."

He blinked slowly, picking up the skein he had been caressing. He finally gave his attention back to her, after a few more seconds with the yarn. He didn't say a word, but nodded with the most honest, sincere smile she had ever seen him muster. Pure bliss that not even marshmallows had ever brought him. She couldn't help but smile back at him.

It didn't take long for Once-ler's hands to be full of various selections of yarn. He jumbled them about in his arms, trying not to drop any while feeling up more as he marched up and down the aisle. Norma had treaded off on her own, to browse the rest of the store. She had never really taken to arts and crafts. Music had always been her thing. There wasn't really anything music related in this store, so she didn't give all of her attention as she padded down aisle after aisle. Her hands touched most things as she walked by, but she didn't really remember how any of it had felt seconds after it had left her fingers. She thought instead about the weight of Once-ler's guitar on her shoulders, and how she longed to play it as perfectly as he did. It had become pretty obvious to her that it wasn't just going to come to her as it had to him. She was going to have to learn the old fashioned way: one lesson at a time.

"Uhm, Norma," she heard Once-ler chirp behind her. She quickly shuffled her feet around and acknowledged him with her questioning eyes.

"Did you say twenty... or thirty?" he asked, shifting his eyes awkwardly from his armfuls of yarn and needles to her blinking gaze. At first, she was confused. Then, a little offended. Finally, though, she couldn't help but giggle.

"An extra ten dollars equals an explanation of your sketch book _and_ guitar lessons," she negotiated. Once-ler hesitated. It wouldn't be fair of him to accept these terms and conditions, and he knew it. There was no way he could properly tutor anyone on how to play a guitar. He could show her how to make some nice sounds, and then how to string them together, but the rest was just his instinct alone. It would be just plain dishonest to agree-

"Okay," he answered, abruptly interrupting his conscience. His voice was free of any possible emotion. His eyes were blank as he stared at her, fearing she would realize she was getting the short straw. She grinned gleefully, unaware. She began reaching into her pocket, pulling out the thirty dollars. She thrust it in his direction. The moment stood still as Once-ler stared at the cash and Norma stared at him. He wanted to grab it, but is arms were full. He considered trying to shift all of the fluff to one arm, but as soon as he tried to do so, a few skeins tumbled to the ground. He now watched them on the floor.

"Ha ha. My bad," Norma winced, realizing the illogic in her actions. She pulled the money back and picked up the few balls of yarn that had hit the floor. She brushed away the dust and started her way toward the check out. Once-ler followed behind quietly. One of these colourful balls of fluff had to be the inspiration he needed. He chose a wide variety, as to leave no stone unturned. Whatever he was making, it had to be made of the most perfect fibers. It had to be soft yet durable. Bright and beautiful. It had to be perfect. No less than _perfect_.

At the checkout, Norma counted fourteen puffs of yarn and three sets of knitting needles. _Fourteen_. And they all looked different. Every one of them had its own colour and thickness. There was even a ball that looked like it was made from multi-coloured pompoms, threaded together endlessly. She couldn't even imagine what could be made out of that one. It was the last one she placed on the counter and the cashier rung them all through patiently. She was middle-aged and full of smiles. Full of assumptions too.

"What a sweet boyfriend, carrying all that for you," she said warmly, "That'll be $32.20 please."

Norma wasn't sure what to react to first. The fact that this woman had just called Once-ler her boyfriend, or that she assumed all this yarn was all for her. Then there was the fact that the total had come up to over thirty dollars when the initial agreement had been twenty. She grinded her teeth together slowly.

"We're just friends," Once-ler corrected the woman for her, "And, I'm carrying these for myself." He didn't seem ashamed to admit it, like he had earlier. Either that or he cared more about what Norma thought of him than what some bitty at a cash register did. He smiled kindly even as the woman's face changed to astonishment.

"I'm sorry!" she sounded embarrassed. She took Norma's money and made change without any more commentary. She told them to have a nice day, and Once-ler walked off with a slight skip in his step, swinging his stuffed plastic bag gently. Norma worked on putting her change away before turning to follow.

"Hey, if I were you, I'd scoop up a cutie like that while you can. Believe me, you'd rather a knitter than a jock," the woman whispered to her as soon as her back was turned. She flipped back around and stared at the cashier in disbelief. The woman chuckled and turned away from her, leaving her there to steep in those words. Norma became flustered. She almost called out to the woman. She just couldn't believe the nerve of some people. Why did everyone have to try so hard to ruin the friendship she had?

She caught up to Once-ler quickly. He had stopped once he exited the store, waiting outside of the doors. He was unusually chipper, greeting her brightly as if it had been their first time seeing each other all day.

"Hi to you too, smiley," she teased, initiating the walk back in the direction of home. He hummed pleasantly and walked alongside of her, a sway in his hips like he was all that. Had buying him all that yarn really made him this happy? There was a pleasant tingling inside of her middle to see him smile for no reason at all.

"Don't forget... you still have to live up to your end of the deal," Norma reminded as they got closer and closer to their school, across the way from her house. It was late in the afternoon, dinner drawing nearer. Once-ler had a long and lonely walk ahead of him and she was expected home by 5:30 PM. She had a feeling she was going to have to wait for tomorrow to see any of her rewards.

"Well, I definitely can't teach you anything on the guitar in this little amount of time," he confessed, his smile turning lopsided. She already knew that though.

"What are you working on in your drawing book?" she squinted.

"I'll show you tomorrow, during lunchtime," he answered quickly, without any hesitation or uneasiness. He was in way too optimistic of a mood to feel the nerves of having to talk about his invention. Invention-to-be. Part of him wanted to run all the way home and dive right into his giant bag of fluff. The two of them now stood at the crosswalk before her house. He looked at Norma, the plea in his eyes.

"What? Fine. Go home and knit then," she snapped, disappointed with having to wait after spending the rest of her lunch money for that week. He beamed brightly, creating what would be the first time he ever initiated a hug between then. It was warm and tight, and much, much more affectionate than any of his lazy returned hugs he had given her in the past. She wanted to be stubborn and shove him away, but it was too difficult. They stood for a few moments, locked in a friendly embrace.

"Thank you so much," he said when he pulled himself away, "Tomorrow, my friend, prepare to have your mind blown."

"Uh huh. Okay," she responded, a touch of sarcasm in her voice. She began to pull the guitar strap up and over her head to return it to its rightful owner, but Once-ler motioned her to stop.

"Borrow it for tonight. Practice," he offered nicely. Norma nodded gleefully, a huge grin spreading across her face.

"I will take such good care of it," she promised. He stuck his tongue at her silly and turned away. He walked his way, in the direction of the place he called home. After maybe thirty steps or so in the distance, he twirled a few times, swinging his plastic bag and waving to her enthusiastically. She waved back, sad to see him go. She then started her own way home, though it was much shorter than his. She waited for the light to change, humming whatever song Once-ler had put in her head earlier.

When Norma got home, her family had just sat down to dinner. When she walked into the dining area, they all stared like deer in headlights.

"Oh no, you're punking out on us, aren't you," her mother was the first to speak.

"What?" Norma didn't understand the accusation.

"Dude, you can play the guitar?" her kid brother exclaimed in excitement. He was thirteen, and like a lot of kids his age, dreamed of being a rock star. He was always asking for tips music wise, but in turn, always proved that he just wanted to make noise, _any_ noise, without the touch of interest in what that noise actually was.

"Oh..." she sounded in realization as she pulled the strap over her head and propped both the guitar and her backpack against the nearest wall. She chose not to acknowledge their comments any further. Her mother always thought romance was blooming between her and Once-ler, and she really didn't want to have to feel that awkwardness in front of her dad and brother too. Her mother smiled at her suspiciously, eyelids narrowed, but Norma looked away and found her place at the table.

"You know, when I was young, I tried to learn guitar," her dad said proudly, mid-chew, "I'm pretty sure that's why your mother started dating me."

"Oh please, you could barely navigate that thing," her mom quickly countered with a laugh, "But there is something about a boy with a guitar, isn't there Norma?"

Norma didn't like the implication there. She didn't answer and ate quietly. She wished for some way she could explain the relationship between herself and Once-ler without everyone assuming something else entirely. What was the difference if Once-ler was a boy or a girl? Norma loved him, but as a best friend should.

"Can you teach me to play?" her brother broke into her thoughts. Norma looked up and smiled at him.

"As soon as I learn, I'll try to teach you."

"Aww, pffft, that will take forever," he shot down her offer, losing interest entirely. Norma sighed to herself as everyone quietly went back to their plates. Nothing else was said about the guitar for the rest of the meal. More casual topics came up like _how was your day_, _do you have any homework_, _what did you do this afternoon_, etcetera. Norma excused herself once she popped her last bite and headed to her bedroom, guitar in hand.

"_Na na na na na na_..." she sang to herself just as Once-ler always did. She was sitting on her bed, gently brushing the strings with her fingertips. She didn't want to make any horrible noise too loudly, and initiate any more talk about it. It was unusual for her to try so desperately to avoid her family. They were all very close and comfortable with each other. But the way her mom was always reacting nowadays, to Once-ler and the things they would do together, changed the air. Norma felt like she was walking around on eggshells.

A knock sounded at her door. She called out, giving whomever permission to enter. Her mom pushed open the door and walked into the room.

"Hey Normie, can we talk about something?"

"Mm, as long as it's not to ask me about flowers for my wedding," Norma replied, the irritability evident in her vocals. Her mom shook her head and sat herself down next to her on the bed.

"I think I need to apologize," she began slowly, "When I was young and first met your father, we were just friends. We did everything together, but as friends. My mom always teased me, but I ignored it. But one day she said something that made me realize she was right. I feel like I was so glued in my denial that I would have never realized it myself. So... I feel like I am trying to be that for you."

Norma stared at her, without any words.

"I'm just trying to scrub away any adhesive just in case there's something more and you're missing out on it."

"Well... I appreciate that, I think. But I promise you, Once-ler and I _are_ friends. Maybe even _best_ friends. I know exactly how I feel about this," Norma insisted. And she did. She really did.

"Then I'll let it be," her mother replied genuinely. Norma thanked her and the conversation ended with her mother leaving the room. She giggled a bit at the ridiculous thought of her mother having to be _told_ she was in love with dad. So much for it being the guitar. Something special like that should be figured out on its own, Norma believed. And when she was in love, she knew that she'd know.

Norma spent the rest of her night half-heartedly doing her homework. Everything seemed to lead back to her strumming a few attempted chords on Once-ler's guitar. They were starting to sound better, she felt. She fell asleep quickly, awkwardly holding onto the instrument like a stuffed animal.

When Norma woke up, she felt sore in various places where she had pressed her weight into the guitar in her sleep. She was relieved to see it hadn't fallen off the bed in her varied sleep movements. She gently moved it away and got up to her feet. She cued her regular morning routine and her regular daily schedule. Everything went just as it always did. Shower. Breakfast. First period. But, as she stepped into business class that morning, something was different. The desk beside her was empty.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hey, a cliffhanger for you! Thanks for reading and/or reviewing!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 09**

Once-ler was nowhere to be seen. Class started, attendance was taken, and Once-ler still hadn't shown up. Norma felt a slight uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. He had never missed a class before, excluding that day he knitted all through fourth period. That was something they just never really spoke about, though. Almost as if it had become taboo. Then she realized just what she may have done.

"No, Once-ler. I am not surprised in the least that you stayed up all night knitting and then slept until noon," Norma said monotonously. The two of them plucked grass at the top of their hill, an awkward silence building between them. He had had trouble admitting it, originally making up less believable stories as to why he hadn't shown up until after lunch, in hopes she would buy. But once he spat out the truth, he could tell Norma was a little disappointed in him. Maybe only because it had resulted in her not getting the information she desired during lunch period like he had promised. He managed to make it just in time for third period, having been a _day two_ that day. He had to keep insisting it had nothing to do with him trying to get out of his end of the deal. He waited for her during his spare instead of going home, after all. What other proof did she need?

"I had to eat lunch alone," Norma whined, kicking out her feet in front of her and tossing grass into the air. The grass was starting to yellow with the October air. It was sweater weather and she had forgotten hers. She shivered a bit.

"Well, I'm sure you'll move passed that and heal someday," Once-ler teased with lowered eyelids, sarcasm in his words. Norma punched him in the same spot of his forearm as she had just the day before, reawakening the throbbing bruise. He didn't cry out like he really, really wanted to. He just glared while nursing his arm with massaging fingertips.

"Drawing book," she demanded sharply, with a snap of her fingers.

"Okay okay. Prepare to be amazed..." Once-ler began, deepening his voice a bit in attempts to sound like a voiceover in an infomercial. He pulled his backpack into his lap and pulled the snaps apart. They cracked open with an excited pop, and he dived right in, both arms elbow-deep. Norma watched quietly, expecting him to pull out his sketchpad. He rummaged around a little longer than usual, and what he pulled out was something she had never seen before.

Norma gaped, "What _is_ that?"

Once-ler smiled big and proud, jumping to his feet. He held out what looked like a scarf. Sort of. A scarf that looped in ways a scarf shouldn't. Like what could be imagined as a prototype scarf back in the days when scarves were first being brainstormed. Beta scarf.

"This, my friend, is something everybody _needs_," the way he said it made her feel as though he was trying to sell it to her. Perhaps that was the point. It gave her the same feeling down her spine as when she answered the phone to telemarketing. He stretched it out between his hands, parts of it looping around his wrists and other parts hanging loosely. It was hard to tell where it began and where it ended. She examined it again, but it still looked like a confused scarf.

"I actually already have one," she replied, looking up at him with a blink. A scarf, that is. He towered over her seated position. When his proud smirk changed to a twisted frown, it was a little daunting.

"This is the very first one!" he cried, something of a laugh escaping him.

"That might depend on what it actually is," Norma retorted, shifting her eyes to the side. She was starting to get a little impatient. He was obviously stalling to avoid telling her about whatever it was he spent day in and day out scratching into his sketchpad.

"This..." he paused dramatically, "... is a _thneed_." Yes, a thneed. The name came to him in the night as he worked tirelessly. Knitting and purling. Casting on and casting off. Decreasing and increasing. He could hardly remember half of the creative process that had just taken place the night before. He couldn't remember where the name had come from. Maybe throughout the many times he dozed off for a split second, usually waking to his face smacking into his knitting needles. It didn't matter though. This was a thneed. The thneed. And it was more than welcome to rhyme with need.

"A what?" Norma wasn't sure if she could even pronounce that word.

"A thneed."

"Do you mean a scarf?"

Once-ler was offended, "A scarf? A scarf is only one of the many, many things a thneed can be. A thousand different uses, guaranteed!"

Norma was having a difficult time knowing how to properly react. Was this a joke? Was it funny? She didn't laugh. The thneed just sat there in his arms. It didn't look like it was about to jump up and do the job of a thousand things. It was limp and fluffy. Pinkish-red in colour. Once-ler held onto it like it was a prized possession. Like he was showing off to her the most amazing treasure. What did this have to do with this drawing book?

"Okay. Picture this: you are on your way home from school, and you're wearing your thneed as a scarf that day," Once-ler wraps the thneed around his neck like a scarf in demonstration, "But then, oh my, it starts to _rain_! Hard, even! You leant your umbrella to your good friend, the Once-ler, so you are without! Oh wait, but you have your thneed! Easily converts into a hood!" On cue, his hands began to turn and twist around the pink fluff around his neck, then pulling it up and over his head. It did kind of look like a hood now. Kind of.

"Alright. That's cool. But it's made of wool... so the rain will just go right through," she pointed out, just trying to provide some constructive criticism. Once-ler's smile dropped once more.

"It does other things too!" he blurted out stubbornly, pulling down the hood and converting it back into a scarf. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. She felt the pressure of his eyes pressed up against her face and she started to feel uncomfortable. She was beginning to believe she wasn't reacting the way he had anticipated.

"Oh," she suddenly realized, "Oh, it's our business project! But I thought we were supposed to make a commercial for a product from the list."

His glare softened into confusion.

"Oh, no. Nevermind. You're being serious. Okay... what does this have to do with your sketchbook?"

Once-ler's smile resurfaced and he crouched down, beginning to search through his bag for a second time. He tossed out whatever got in his way, including but not limited to school binders, pencils, marshmallows, and textbooks. He finally managed to pull out his worn out sketchpad and softly hand it to her in a gentlemanly manner. She took a hold of it and let it sit in her hands for a few seconds. This felt like being given permission to trespass on private properly. Like she was VIP. She ran her fingers along the cover and opened it to the first page. And then the second. Third, fourth, and fifth. The pages were full of thneeds. Well, versions and variations of thneeds. Drawings of all the things they could do. Sketches of knitting patterns that he had brainstormed when knitting needles weren't around. The book was full to the very last page.

"That one is supposed to be you wearing the thneed like a hood since I know how much you hate the rain," he admitted shyly, pointing to the sketchy doodle of a girl hiding from the rain. This caught Norma off guard. She examined the drawing with biased eyes and couldn't help but smile and giggle a little. He wasn't exactly good at drawing. It wasn't horrible, but nothing breathtakingly amazing. That was okay though. It was still cute.

"Was that your secret weapon to sway me into liking this thing?" she laughed, sending hand gestures towards the thneed. He tried to hold back his victory smile. She saw it anyway.

"Okay, well, I'm cold, so..." Norma snatched the thneed away and wrapped it around her neck. It was soft and warm if nothing else. Once-ler seemed a little shaken by the fact she had just taken it away from him. He had been protective of this idea since she first met him almost two months ago. Who knew how long he had been secretly harboring it. She could easily imagine that he was imagining her running off with it and claiming it as her own invention. Selling it to the world and becoming super rich. She knew though, that even if she tried, it wouldn't amount to much. But she wouldn't honestly put her name on something like this anyway. It was cute, sure, but it mostly looked like a mess of dropped stitches by the hand of someone who had never handled knitting needles in their life. Obviously this hadn't been the case with the Once-ler, so she was shocked and confused about this. _She_ could have knitted something like this, and she, as previously stated, had never handled knitting needles in her life.

"If you'd like to own the first thneed, it's only $3.98," he pitched, putting his voiceover voice back on.

"Buy it? How about we call ourselves even since you spent an additional $2.20 yesterday on your thneed parts."

"That would leave you $1.78 in debt to me."

"I'm glad to hear that skipping math class didn't hurt your subtracting skills," Norma snapped with a glare. The two of them stared daggers into each other for minutes in complete silence. It didn't take long for it to change into lighthearted laughter. Once-ler plopped himself back down to the ground, across from Norma, a silly smile plastered on his face.

"So," Once-ler breathed with expectation gleaming in his eyes.

"So?"

"Do you _like_ it?" his eyes motioned to the thneed and back again to her face. She looked down at the fluffy fibers wrapped around her neck and bit onto her bottom lip. Like might not have been the right word. But what was the word? It was soft and comfortable. Maybe a little fuzzy, actually. Probably wouldn't do too well in the wash. It was a nice colour, but she was sure it could be any colour if it needed to be. It looked like a lot of careful work was put into it despite the fact it also looked like a fourth grader's project. Mixed feelings spun around Norma's head as she weighed the options. She then realized what she had to do.

"I think it's great," she cheered, throwing her arms into the air enthusiastically. She was forcing it a little bit. She liked Once-ler a lot, and she could clearly see he was more than proud of his creation. It could have been years he had been scribbling out his ideas for it, and finally today it was born into a physical thing. Norma decided she wouldn't rain down on this. None of her usual realism, just optimism from her.

Once-ler stared her down, a look of distrust in his eyes. Norma's enthusiasm was a little out of character and it made him a little uneasy at first. At first. Then he smiled big and proud, "It _is_ great. The greatest thing that was ever invented! One day, everyone will have a thneed, and you will be able to say you had the first!"

"Imagine how much I could sell it for at that point," Norma teased, laughing a little. Once-ler chuckled too, but a look came over him. Norma had never seen this look before, dancing like a fire behind his eyes. The innocence she usually saw there was replaced by something a little heavier. Maybe it was his deep violet pride glimmering in his irises, darkening his usual blue. It seemed he had lost sight of her, and was alone now, in his thoughts. Biggering his invention in his imagination. Living his dream, right there in front of her, but without her. She wondered if she had a place at all in any of it. She wondered if she would be more than just the first customer.

**"""""**

Ted had shuddered when the thneed had come up. Already? It felt like it was way too soon. Ted could hear the change in tone when Grammy spoke of it. Audrey could too, and her bright smile had faded. They both knew what the thneed had done.

"The Once-ler told me about his thneed..." Ted mumbled uncomfortably.

Grammy smiled, but it lacked luster, "I'm sure it was a very important part of his story. The Once-ler lived and breathed his thneed. I didn't realize it then, but, everything he ever did, he always thought about how it would benefit his thneed. How he could make it better. He was running a business inside his own head, and he played every role in its upkeep."

"Do you still have the thneed he gave you?" Audrey asked.

"We'll get to that part eventually, dear."

And the story would go on.

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><p><strong>AN:** Oh. It's Tuesday morning, and I said I'd post by Monday. I am officially unworthy of all my kind and beautiful readers. ;n; Anyway, chapter 09 finally. Next chapter means I'm in the double digits... woo! This chapter I hope helped the pace a little. Thank you so much for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Once-ler and Norma said their goodbyes, prolonging it far more than needed. There was always a touch of sadness in it. The loneliness they both harboured inside seemed to creep its way out again when they realized that once they parted, they would be nothing but alone. Once-ler hadn't worried about feeling alone in a long while. He had really never been _not_ alone. Friends and a loving family had always been things of fables and fairy tales. On the other hand, he could tell Norma had always felt alone, even with her supportive family by her side. Very alone. She played it tough, but deep down she was fragile and lonely. Just lonely. But, it took having a friend for the two of them to really see just how_ lonely_ lonely could really be.

"I'm going to call you tomorrow morning to make sure you wake up, whether you were up all night or not!" Norma called out, laughter ringing in her tone. She was already across the street and Once-ler had already turned away to start his journey home. He looked over his shoulder to see her waving frantically, and then run off in the direction of her home. He smiled to himself. She was so desperate that it was hard not to laugh. But, a lot of the stiffness had come to pass. She didn't walk on eggshells so much anymore, in fear he would bolt. There probably wasn't much she could do at this point that would make him want to cut off communications. But he was pretty sure that that was her biggest fear, deep down. Maybe.

Once-ler walked at a moderate pace. The passing scenery went unseen, his thoughts playing like a movie in his mind. He was thinking about Norma. About his thneed. Norma's reaction to the thneed had given him mixed feelings. She was trying to be practical at first, as she always did, but switched it up to unending optimism. Most people would realize she was just being nice, but, Once-ler was trying to avoid that thought. It must have dawned on her suddenly, he told himself. The thneed was amazing, but, only if you can see just how amazing it could be. It was all about using your imagination. The thneed could be _anything_. Or, at least, one day that would be the case.

A few raindrops hit his shoulder, pulling him back into reality. They were frigid and triggered goose bumps down his arms and back. He stopped and looked up at the sky. When had it gotten so cloudy? When had those clouds gotten so dark? He hadn't gotten very far, leaving him a long way to walk in the rain. He just shrugged. He didn't really mind the rain. He wasn't sure why Norma hated it so much. She always made desperate getaways whenever even just a drop of water hit her. It was almost comical to watch. Perhaps she had been a cat in another life.

"Once-ler! Once-ler!" he suddenly heard, calling out from behind him. He spun around and saw Norma running toward him, still a couple hundred metres away. The rain was starting to come down a little heavier and she had his thneed wrapped around her head like a hood. Sort of. At least she tried. She waved around something in her hand as she got closer. He blinked in confusion when she finally reached him.

"Hello," he greeted.

Norma huffed and puffed, trying to catch her breath before responding, "I brought this for you."

Once-ler stared down at her hand, a red umbrella in her clutch. She extended it towards him, inviting him to take it. They were both already pretty wet by this point. The thneed was soaked through, droplets sliding down her face. He bit down onto his lower lip, not sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. She had been right. It didn't make too great of a rain hood.

"Did you really run all the way from your house to bring this to me?" he asked, taking the umbrella in his hand and examining her carefully. No one ever went so far out of their way for him. Not before.

"Well... you have a long walk ahead of you and I could tell it might start raining. I don't want you getting sick or something and having another reason not to eat lunch with me tomorrow..." she trailed off, her eyes glanced to the side as she spoke. Once-ler did laugh this time. Oh Norma. Always making it about herself.

"But you hate the rain."

"I was willing to sacrifice, okay?" she started to sound defensive, puffing up her cheeks stubbornly. It was too hard for her to just say that she cared. It was evident in her daily doings, but the words didn't want to come out. She just wanted it to be known. Once-ler was okay with that. Without anything else, he grabbed one of her wrists and pulled her close in a friendly embrace. The sound of their wet clothes squeaked awkwardly, but neither of them minded. It was a quiet hug, otherwise. Quiet, but full of feeling.

It was silly to see, the two of them standing in the middle of the rain, just holding onto each other as if something was trying to pry them apart. The rain only got harder, morphing into a downpour. The cars passing by were muffled by the sound of water on cement. Norma could feel Once-ler's heartbeat. Her ear was pressed right up against his chest and it was soothing. The rhythm of the rain and his heartbeat seemed to be entwined. As if his musical talent was thriving inside of his middle, taking every chance it had to make beautiful sound. It felt like magic.

It was sobering the way his hands grabbed her and pushed her away. His fingers wrapped around her forearms and remained there. He looked down at her with a smile that spoke a thousand words that she didn't know all the definitions to. Some of them were near foreign. The softness in his eyes made butterflies come alive in her diaphragm. What was this?

His lips parted to speak, slow and thoughtful. She didn't know what he was going to say, but she knew it was going to be amazing. Maybe a _thank you_ that was so deep and profound that it left her speechless. Or a desperate confession of how she was his best friend in the whole world and he would always be there. Always.

"What happened to your hair?"

Silence. The beautiful moment seemed to shatter as the real world came crashing down. What _had_ happened to her hair? The rain.

"I have to go," Norma sputtered, pulling away from Once-ler's grasp and spinning around on her heels. She started to run. Her curls bounced and stuck to her face from underneath the thneed. Straightened hair couldn't survive moisture. She knew this well. She did everything in her power to avoid water when outside of her home. Once-ler had never seen her with her natural, poufy hair, and she was too ashamed to let him. She felt tears coming from her eyes. She hated it, just hated it.

Once-ler watched Norma as she ran from him. He didn't understand. He thought about chasing after her, but his feet didn't leave their tracks. She was quick and due home for dinner anyway. She was already late after all, having run back to him to bring the umbrella. He looked down at the umbrella he had dropped at some point during their squeeze. Bright and red, it reflected light in the droplets of water. That crazy girl. So mean but so kind. He felt a peace come over his mind. He wasn't worried about her. She probably just realized how late it was. He picked it up and opened it above his head. He was soaked to the bone, but at least now his bone marrow may stay dry. He began to walk again, homebound. Off to work on more and more thneeds.

When he reached his home, the rain was just starting to slow. Of course. He sighed a little bit at the sky, looking up at it with an eye roll. He wasn't so concerned though. Sure, he felt clammy, soppy, and itchy, but he was alive. He wasn't made out of sugar, as the expression would have said. And he was in a good mood anyway. In theory, he sold his first thneed that day. In theory. It was more like a loan, but it was good enough for him. Norma had even used it in the situation he had suggested. Sure... it wasn't flawless yet, but he would work on that. Eventually she would be doing just about everything with a thneed and she would be so proud of him. Everyone would be.

"I'm home!" he called out by habit as he entered the foyer. He slipped off his dripping shoes as he shook the half-closed umbrella outside the door. No one replied, but this wasn't unusual. He had partially been hoping for no response this time around, anyhow. He had things to do and no time for any dawdling. His mother had already freaked when he rushed down the stairs at noon this morning, so he didn't feel any eggshells underfoot. He hung up the umbrella to dry on a hook by the front door and started his way for the stairs. Time to get to work.

"_Oncie_? Is that you?" his mother squealed from another room. He stopped mid-step, having only made it up the first three stairs. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine, but he wasn't sure why. Something in the way she shrieked today that made him feel a little more targeted than usual.

His mom came storming into the room, eyes enraged. She stopped inches from his person, staring deep into his face. It felt like it burned a little bit. He peered down at her, bracing himself for the unknown, a hard swallow getting stuck in his throat.

"Y-yes mom?"

She didn't say anything. It was then that he noticed the plastic bag in her hands. She lifted it up and gestured roughly. All the yarn Norma had bought for him in his mother's hands. It waited for the worst. He waited for the worst.

"This is why you missed your classes?" she sounded angrier than he had ever heard her. He felt his knees tremble under the weight of the rest of him. He had made the effort to hide the evidence, but it seemed to have come into her possession anyway. He probably had Brett or Chett to thank for that. He tried to shuffle through excuses for one that would cool his mother down as quickly as possible. The words jumbled in his mind and became encrypted. He bit down hard on his tongue.

His mother's eyes suddenly softened, "Oncie. You want to make your mama proud, don't you?"

"O-of course I do," he stuttered without thought.

"Then you have to_ be_ something. You're wasting both of our time with these childish hobbies. These balls of fluff? Useless. Your textbooks? That's what you need to be staying up all night with. All that this yarn is going to teach you is _nothing_."

Once-ler watched quietly as his mom lectured. He nodded lifelessly every time she paused. By the end of it, he felt every ounce of optimism drained out of him. He felt grayscale and alone. She walked away from him, his yarn still in her fingers. She brought herself to the front door, opened it, and with one swift swing, tossed all the contents of the bag out the door and onto the wet and puddled ground. She crumbled up the emptied plastic bag and tossed it outside with the rest of it. Once-ler watched on, jaw dropping.

"Go do your homework, or the guitar is next," she said coldly, slamming the door and leaving the room with her nose in the air. Once-ler's heart sank deep into his belly. He felt it beating there, in slow-motion. He was waiting for his legs to find the proper reaction. They weren't sure if they had to obey his mother or go rescue the muddied yarn. They fidgeted under the pressure, so finally his brain kicked in. Norma had bought those for him, and he wasn't going to let them go to waste in such a tragic way.

After gathering up the soggy yarn and putting it all back into their bag, he ran up the stairs and to his bedroom as quickly as possible. He locked the door behind him, no interest in hearing any more that night. He didn't even want dinner. Or anything. He just wanted to be alone, with the only person who ever believed in him. Himself.

"I'll be something, mom. Just wait and see," he whispered bitterly to himself. He was now sitting at his desk, flipping through one of his many sketchpads. Thneed after thneed, one a little more detailed than the previous. This. His invention was what would make him something someday. Someday his mother would be so proud of him, and she'd feel so bad for all the horrible things she had said to him all his life. His whole family would. Someday.

He'd do his homework later. Once-ler rummaged through the bag of wet yarn, feeling his way for the most ideal skein. When his hand found its way out again, he had a pastel green ball, half brownish from the puddles outside. He squeezed out small amounts of excess water onto his pants until he felt it was acceptable. It wasn't as soft anymore, but it still felt comfortable. The thneed needed to be comfortable, that was for sure. He pulled out his size 8 needles and started to knit, humming silly songs to himself. He was thinking long and hard about the issue with the first prototype. Water went right through it. He imagined Norma, soaked through, with a sloppy pile of thneed on her head. Then he remembered how her hair twisted and turned in ways it never had before. Her hair had always been straight, so it had been a strange sight. Nothing wrong with it. Just different.

Hours seemed to speed by, and before Once-ler knew it, it was closing in on 4:00 AM. He felt claws on his eyelids, scratching and pulling them downward, but he fought them off. He had almost completed a second thneed. This one was better. Bigger, thicker, and bound to keep out more water. Stretchier too, opening up more opportunities to the endless list this thing could do. He was so proud, smiling a sleep-drunk grin as he knit and purled a few last stitches. In the morning, he would take it into the shower with him to test it out.

"It's already morning..." he laughed at himself, speaking slowly and almost slurred. Just a few more rows, though, and then he could sleep for a few hours. Norma would call. He didn't have to worry about sleeping in. He'd set an alarm clock too. There was nothing to worry about.

He collapsed, face planted into his desk. Sleep engulfed him in seconds. He had swirling dreams of thneeds and Norma. They went back and forth, one topic to the other, and then sometimes meshed. She modeled his new thneed. She told him it was great. Her hair was curly. He thought it was cute. She thought it was horrible. His mom suddenly appears, snatching the thneed and throwing it to the ground.

_This is the worst invention ever_, his dream echoed.

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><p><strong>AN:** What is this? This chapter feels like a roller coaster. :D Maybe that's the point though. I started it this morning and I'm surprised I got it done tonight since I've been falling asleep at the laptop for the last hour or two. But I really wanted to finish it before bed (just like Once-ler wanted to finish his thneed), so I juiced myself up on caffeine. Here's hoping I'll be able to fall asleep at all now, since I work early. xD Anyway, thank you all my reviewers~ My goodness, everyone makes me feel so loved. v.v I love you all and really hope that my ideas for this story all reach your expectations! I hope I don't let anyone down! Thanks for reading, see you next chapter~


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When Once-ler had answered the telephone that morning, he had sounded barely half alive. Norma had hardly recognized the gruff voice that had come onto the line. When he entered the classroom with the bell, he looked even worse than he had sounded. Dark bags sat heavy under his eyes, which appeared to be glazed over. He was more pale than usual, his dark hair contrasting with his skin. He blinked slowly when Norma greeted him as he approached his desk, next to hers. He didn't respond with any words, though. He sat down, seemingly allowing gravity to take over and lead his tush to the seat of his chair. He tried to maintain a straight back and good posture, but quickly gave in and slumped, elbows hard against his desk.

"Are you... okay?" Norma's words came out slow as she continued to watch Once-ler seemingly suffer. He turned his head sluggishly, Norma imagining the sound of a squeaky door hinge filling the room. He acknowledged her question with his bloodshot eyes and a few more blinks. He sniffled and rubbed his nose with a wet squeak, but continued to provide no words. It was pretty evident he wasn't okay. He was anything but okay. He continued to hold eye contact, but there was no depth in his stare. He looked like a hollowed out zombie, living on nothing more than muscle twitches.

When the teacher began to speak, it redirected Once-ler's empty gaze away from her and toward the front of the class. Norma had started to feel uncomfortable under the dead stare, so a silent sigh of relief escaped her. She had never seen Once-ler in such a state before. He didn't pull out any of his books for class or leisure. He had dropped his bag straight to the floor upon arrival, in between their desks. He yawned deeply but quietly, leading Norma to wonder if sleep deprivation could really make someone look so horrible. The term was_ beauty _sleep. She had never really been one to stay up late herself. Even when she tried, she'd just fall asleep wherever she was. Sometimes in awkward places, like at the kitchen table or on the living room sofa. Anything past midnight and she was out like a light.

Class passed by slowly, Norma focusing more on Once-ler's symptoms as opposed to the lesson. He was coughing and sneezing every few minutes. His desk was spotting with saliva, but he was too out of it to realize and wipe it away. He was sniffling and congested, needing a tissue more than he knew. His eyes were red, glassy, and slow to react. It was almost as if he was sick. He had seemed perfectly healthy the day before. Tons of energy while bouncing around with his thneed presentation. She had gone home with it a sopping mess on her head and around her neck. Her family had all been impressed by the fact he could knit, but not by what it was. They didn't even ask about that part.

_Oh_. Norma started to remember the evening previous. She started to recollect Once-ler's hands tight around her arms and his eyes soft on her face. Those strange butterflies resurfaced in the pit of her stomach. The rain had been cold, but she didn't end up noticing until she was already halfway home. She was thoroughly soaked when she got in, leaving puddles in the foyer of her house. The first thing she did - after explaining the soppy mess of pink fluff on her head to her family - was hop into the shower and warm herself up. She'd be lucky if she didn't get sick, she had thought the night before. Once-ler must not have been so lucky.

Another sneeze escaped him, this one more vicious than the last. It had ripped through his trachea violently, making his eyes stream rivers down his cheeks. He tried to clear his throat, but it was profitless. It was as if every possible thing that could be wrong was wrong. A few peers looked over with unease, probably in fear they would catch whatever he had. Norma felt really bad, being unable to do anything for her friend. She watched as he lowered his head, cradling it in his folded arms on his desk. Just sleep, she thought. Sure, you're obviously not supposed to sleep in class, but, sleep was the best cure for a cold, right? The teacher would have noticed Once-ler's slew of symptoms and understand. Right? It could work out that way...

The teacher either never noticed or let it slide. When class finally came to an end, Norma wasn't sure if Once-ler was actually asleep or not. His body didn't react in any way to the sound of the bell. He was stiller than she had ever seen him before.

"Once-ler?" she whispered, nudging him a little bit. The rest of the class was moving around them. Unsaid words were coming out and bags were being packed. No one seemed to look their way. Once-ler responded, but with a low grunt from the back of his throat. He raised his head slowly, and looked around the room in confusion. He looked half asleep, but he forced himself to his feet, picking up his backpack meanwhile. He swung it over his shoulders and pretended all was fine with a lopsided smile her way.

"Come on Once-ler," was all she said, taking a hold of him by the hand and leading him out of the classroom. There was no resistance from his part. He stumbled a little bit, every now and then. He was dizzy. The world was spinning around him, so having Norma's hand made him feel a little safer. A little more grounded. He felt like a balloon of helium, and she was holding onto his string.

Norma was leading him in a direction the two of them had never gone before together. He could see this, but, it didn't really click in entirely. His thoughts were in slow motion. He fluttered along behind her, down the halls and stairs of the school. They eventually came to a stop in front of a door.

"Nurse's Office?" he squinted as he read, to make the label on the door stop moving.

"You're obviously not well," Norma replied, turning the handle to the office and entering, dragging Once-ler in behind him. She could start to feel some reluctance, but she only had to tug harder. She could overpower him when he was _well_, so when he wasn't, it was like leading a stubborn four-year-old.

It didn't take long for Once-ler to be violently grabbed by a worried nurse after they entered the room. Just looking at him was enough to know something was wrong. He released one of his girlish screams as the nurse pried him away from Norma. She looked away awkwardly, a little embarrassed with his reaction. He tried to fight, but the nurse sat him down in a chair and popped a thermometer into his mouth with little strain. She had a kind face even while implementing such force. He wasn't sure why he was trying to fight this. He didn't want to be sick. You weren't sick until the doctor told you that you were, right?

"Shoo now. We'll take care of it from here," the nurse said to Norma. Her words weren't very comforting, but they were definite. Norma was borderline pushed out of the room, the door closed on her face. She stared sadly at the newly made barricade between herself and Once-ler. This wasn't what she expected would happen at all. In her imagination, she sat by his side while the nurses came up with a diagnosis. She'd then show her support by offering to walk him home and make him soup. Take care of him. All that. But instead, she was standing outside of the Nurse's Office alone. At lunch period. Was she really so easily defeated?

"No!" she cheered, moving her hand toward to the doorknob. When it was in her palm, it wouldn't turn. It was locked now. What if some other student was unwell and needed in? This was ridiculous. She began to knock endlessly until someone answered.

"Mhm?" the nurse opened the door and smiled a greeting.

"I was wondering if I could do anything to help my friend. Like, if he's really sick, he shouldn't be walking home alone."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about anything but your upcoming classes. His mother will be picking him up and taking him to the clinic. Go on now."

This answer wasn't satisfying, but was finalized with the door once again closing before her. Norma had only met Once-ler's mother once, but once had been enough. She had had nightmares about this woman. Although, Once-ler never complained about her. As a matter of fact, he never talked about his home life at all. He never brought up what happened all the way back when Norma was there to see her flip out on him for missing a class. She had hated the idea of leaving him alone that night, fearing the unknown. She knew he was nearly twice his mother's size and could probably defend himself... but he was all skin and bone. Norma herself could easily overpower him. He either never tried or was as weak as a child.

Norma began to walk away, in direction of wherever she'd wind up eating her packed ham sandwich. She continued to imagine up wild stories about Once-ler's mother. He never appeared to have any visual scratches or bruises. Excluding the ones she had given him herself. Maybe it was just emotional abuse she had to worry about. It could be just as bad. She let her train of thought move on to the next station. Once-ler's personality, did it display signs of abuse? Around anyone other than herself, he seemed to just be quiet. She had noticed by this point that he didn't have any other friends. Neither did she though, and she had an ideal family life. That couldn't be a symptom.

She found herself at the picnic tables, sitting down at the one her and Once-ler shared awkwardly their first lunch period together. He was always so trapped inside his head that he hadn't even noticed her there when he sat down. At the time it seemed like an inconvenience, but now she realized it had been a blessing in disguise. What more could she ask for in a friend?

The ham in her sandwich was tasteless. Or she just couldn't taste it. She chewed slowly, continuing to ponder on the circumstances of Once-ler's home life. Did he have a dad? Well, of course, everyone had to have a dad. But did he live there too? Any siblings? Curious and curiouser. She had never asked. She still didn't feel it was her place to ask many questions. She feared imposing and making him scamper off. Norma wasn't sure what she would do if Once-ler decided he didn't like her anymore. She tried so hard to make sure that didn't happen.

The rest of lunch period consisted of a granny smith apple and drabbles of Once-ler's family life. She was making them up as she went along. It wouldn't be surprising if Once-ler didn't have a father. It would explain his obvious lack of masculine attributes. On the other hand, that was just rude to assume. But, she had to admit, she wouldn't be surprised if a man left Once-ler's mother because she was insane. That wouldn't have shocked her at all.

When lunch period ended, she treaded to her final classes. Her eyes stayed to the floor. Being alone with her thoughts had only made her more and more worried. Each question birthed a few more, and this pattern continued relentlessly. Her third period class consisted of nothing but reasons why Once-ler's father wasn't in the picture, assuming he _wasn't_ in the picture. Fourth period migrated back to if he was going to be alright. He had looked horrid, and horrible enough to be sent to the clinic. How long would he be away from school? What if it was something more serious? By the final bell she had decided she was going to go see him. But how? She didn't remember the way to his house by foot.

"Mom!" Norma came crashing through the front door, having rushed home as fast as she could have, "I need you to take me to Once-ler's home! You remember where that is, right?"

Norma's mother was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and flipping through a magazine. She looked up, a little startled. It took her a few extra seconds to understand the words that had been spoken to her.

"What? I remember where it is. Why do you need me to take you there?" she asked, a tiny smirk playing on her lips.

"He was sick at school and went home. I want to make sure he's alright," Norma answered honestly. This didn't seem strange to her. It would have been stranger if she_ didn't_ care about him. What kind of friend didn't care?

"_Oh_, I see," was all her mom replied with, allowing her grin to take on full effect. She stood from her place at the table and grabbed her purse and keys. There were no more words, just a gesture to come along. Norma could feel that awkwardness brewing again, but she let herself steep. She was getting what she wanted, after all. Couldn't let herself sabotage herself.

The car ride was quiet. Her mother had the niceness to talk about other things. Simple things. They discussed their days, Norma leaving little detail in the part where she brought Once-ler to the Nurse's office. She also left out all the wild stories she had come up from that moment until the final bell. Even at this point they were still swirling around in her head. She wasn't crazy, she told herself.

"So, I'll pick you up later?" her mother asked when they rolled up to Once-ler's home.

Norma was out of the car in seconds, "Yeah, I'll call you. Thanks!"

She rushed away from the car and to the front door. She swallowed hard, feeling her nerves vibrate in her knees. She was kind of scared. Would his mother just let her in? She spun around to wave her own mother off, feeling the awkwardness coming from both sides. She drove away, leaving Norma alone with another door. She stared at the door. Glared at it. Made contact with her knuckles, but then retracted as if it had been hot to the touch. She was nervous beyond belief. But she fought and fenced with her anxiety internally, until finally she found herself knocking.

No answer.

She knocked again, harder.

When the door finally opened, Once-ler's mother stood before her with a scowl on her face. She had her hands on her hips, obviously not _pleasantly surprised_ to see her. Norma could feel herself sweat under her eyes, unsure what to say. She started to sputter, making noise before thinking of any words.

"Oh, it's _you_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This chapter is horrible. v.v I'm sorry I made all my nice readers wait so long for a horrible chapter. I had no idea what I was writing the whole way through, but, I needed something to connect to the next chapter, so here it is. What? This is like a bad filler episode. Don't hate me. ;n; Anyway, I hope to get chapter 12 out much sooner. I started working on the last chapter of this story half way through writing this chapter because the idea just dawned on me in its entirety, so I couldn't deny it. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"He has pneumonia. He's contagious. Go home," Once-ler's mother spoke abrupt and to the point when Norma asked for him. There was distaste in her words that Norma couldn't help but find unsettling. Before she had a chance to reply, the door was closed. She couldn't help but jump with the sound of the slam. Norma stared blankly at the barrier, unsure of how to react. Pneumonia? Contagious? Norma didn't care. She wanted to see him anyway.

Norma began knocking on the door once more. She pounded hard and persistently, leaving a few seconds between each knock. She knew she was being ignored at first, after a minute had passed of her consistent assault on the door. She kept at it though, determined to get in. Before her knuckles could meet the door for possibly the fiftieth time, the door swung open before her. Once-ler's mother stood in the threshold once more, glaring at Norma something fierce. It was worse than before. She had irritated her.

"Look, I won't be here for long. Let me just see him-"

"Do I have to call the police to get you off of my property?" his mother snapped, interrupting Norma's attempt to convince her. Norma piped down, staring at the woman in disbelief. What had she ever done to make her have such a dislike for her?

"I'd honestly prefer if you just stepped out of Oncie's life entirely, actually. I don't need you waltzing in, uninvited, and bringing him _yarn_ to make useless piles of fluff instead of studying."

That answered it. Norma's lower jaw lost connection with the upper. Was she really being blamed for that? Once-ler obviously had bad time management skills, but that really didn't have anything to do with whether he was knitting or doing anything else. Norma swallowed hard, preparing a retort, but his mom only continued.

"In fact, I should call the school and get you removed from his class because you are nothing but a distraction. Maybe even a restraining-"

"Don't you think you might be going into the deep end? I think Once-ler is entitled to have whatever hobby - or friends - that he wants. Maybe you should give him a little line!" Norma stammered, frustrated with the controlling nature this woman was demonstrating. She looked back at Norma in shock, her mouth agape. It was quick to change though. It became completely clear that Norma had upset her. Her face twisted up into a scowl as she prepared another snipe.

"How _dare_ you even consider telling me how to raise my son? Get off of my property. Now."  
>The door slammed once more in Norma's face. Her flesh had turned pink in frustration. She felt her elevated heart rate pulse like a metronome in her chest, aching for justice. This wasn't fair. It really wasn't. She imagined poor Once-ler, sick in his bed, awoken by his mother's horrible shrieks. Drunk on a fever and unable to fully comprehend the terrible words echoing throughout his home. She had to find a way to get his attention. A way in.<p>

Norma took a few steps backward, taking in the whole situation with her eyes. They darted around, looking for some sign of which window might be his. There was no way to tell. She thought about taking the chance with one, but quickly realized that would only get the police here faster if she threw a rock through his mother's bedroom window. She started to consider knocking again and begging as pathetically as possible. There had to be a heart somewhere in that woman. She felt her knees turn into gelatin as she tried to step back towards the front door. There wasn't any way this could end well, and she knew it. She was going to get herself into trouble.

Suddenly, the door swung open for the third time, before she had a chance to even build up the courage to knock. Her instincts were screaming to run, but her feet remained planted. She cringed, expecting to find her new greatest enemy approaching her with a rolling pin. Norma blinked in confusion when she instead found Once-ler looking down at her, still appearing as unwell as before. He had a weak smile pasted on his lips, and he motioned her inside.

"Keep your shoes on and don't make a sound," he whispered, leading her into his home. He zipped quietly for the stairs and she followed after, mimicking his tiptoed steps. Her heart was still racing, but for different reasons now. She felt like she was being smuggled in. One wrong move and she could be caught, and who knew what would happen to them then. The stairs were creaky and she grimaced with each step. Every footfall felt like it echoed and vibrated down the floorboards and throughout the house. It seemed like an eternity before they reached the top of the stairs. The floor itself continued to creak under her and Once-ler's weight. He shushed her at one point, but it didn't matter how hard she tried. She started sliding her feet along to lessen the shifting of her weight from foot to foot. The creaking quieted, but not by much. Still, they reached his bedroom door undetected. They slipped hurriedly into the room, Once-ler locking the door behind them.

"Wow," Norma whispered, gazing around his bedroom. It was a simple room. All the basics. Bed. Desk. Book shelf. Etcetera. But the place was cluttered with skeins of half used up yarn – would-be thneeds still attached - and crumpled up pieces of paper. It was almost like a spider's nest. Rejected prototypes and ideas seemed to be scattered everywhere, all tangled up in each other, as if he just tossed them over his shoulder from his desk whenever he decided they weren't worthy. Other than that, the room was tidy. The most personality of the room sat in one corner; a drawing board with much larger scale drawings of his thneed. Much more detail and elegance had been put into these diagrams. She felt bad for thinking his drawings weren't that great earlier. He obviously didn't put nearly as much heart into the ones in his dinky sketchpad. The full scale drawings were lifelike. They were real.

Once-ler marched instantly back to his bed. Gravity took the wheel and he fell into his mattress, face buried into his pillow. He left his sheets beneath him, as he was experiencing a hot flash for the moment. He knew though, that chills would be on their way soon enough. Oh, fevers and their bipolar tendencies. He was surprised he had made it down and then back up the stairs at all, with how dizzy he was feeling. The world spun around him even as he pinched his eyelids tightly closed. He could fall back to sleep now.

Norma found Once-ler's guitar propped up against his desk, his school bag tossed to the floor next to it. She picked it up delicately after gently placing her own bag beside his. She sat down in his desk chair, spinning it around to face the bed.

"So... pneumonia?" Norma enquired softly.

Once-ler reluctantly rolled over onto his back to reply while nodding, "Doctor said I could be contagious for at least four days."

"Yikes. Wait. Does that mean you are going to be away from school for the rest of the week?"

"Until I feel better," he answered briefly, his voice growing hoarser. Norma didn't ask any more questions right away. She could tell it was hard on him to be speaking. She didn't want to cause him anymore pain than he already had to endure. She tried to ignore the dull ache in her chest, pushing away the thoughts of business class and lunch period without Once-ler. She had to be more focused on what was important, and that was that he felt better and comfortable.

Norma began to quietly strum on his guitar that she cradled in her lap. The sounds weren't so horrible anymore. They didn't sound like much of anything but noise, but at least she was getting better, instead of producing the same crashing racket as before. Improvement, even if miniscule. She was proud of herself and hoped that Once-ler would be too.

"You've learned what _not_ to play," he teased in a whisper as to not strain his throat. On impulse, Norma wanted to punch him. Playfully. But instead she just giggled and glared, keeping her hands away from him. She had to be considerate of his fragile state.

"Well, someone is supposed to be giving me lessons," she retorted, strumming another _noise_. She wanted to hear Once-ler play, but knew he wouldn't have it in him. He was staring at the ceiling, his eyes moving in slow, circling patterns, probably following the rotation of his fever.

"Na na na na na na..." Norma hummed softly to the tune of that song Once-ler seemed to always sing. His lips curled into a smile as she allowed his melody to flow around the room in her voice.

"I think that's plagiarism," he mumbled. His eyes didn't shift to Norma when he spoke. They continued the path of his fever, from ceiling speckle to ceiling speckle.

"I think it's a _cover_," Norma sang her response, in the same tune. She tried to play along with the guitar, plucking strings slowly and carefully. Once-ler let go of something caught between a laugh and a cough. Suddenly his eyes focused and darted to her. A thought was flowing.

"Norma. Open the first drawer of my desk," he directed, raising an arm lifelessly to point. His trembling index finger lead her eyes part of the way there before he dropped his whole limb weakly, back to his side. He slowly let his eyes drift back to the ceiling. Norma blinked, registering the instruction. She then carefully propped the guitar back up against the desk and spun around to face the drawers. Her fingers wrapped around the first drawer's handle. She paused to wonder just what she might find. The suspense became too much for her too quickly and she ripped it open. A pile of pale green fluff stared up at her.

"Thneed number two," Once-ler whispered, "I made it last night. It's better."

Norma picked up the new thneed. It was softer and thicker than the one she had at home. The paleness of the green reminded her of the many pastels of Spring, even though Winter was coming. It was spotted in a few places though. Almost as if it had been thrown into a puddle. Had he been knitting out in the rain last night?

"What happened to it?" she questioned, running her fingers along the thneed and feeling the texture change with the stains.

"Nevermind that. Just try it on." Once-ler huffed.

Norma looked it over again. It didn't follow the same curves and twists as the first thneed. It had some of its own unique qualities. She shook it out and ravelled it around her neck like a scarf. It was more comfortable, if nothing else. She wasn't sure if green was her colour though.

"It's nice, Once-ler," Norma said kindly, stroking its stitching as if it were a pet. She smiled genuinely toward him, even though he wasn't looking her way. He had a proud grin on his face. He shared it with the ceiling. She was happy to see him happy, even while sick. It was important to her that she could help him forget all the bad things every once in a while. This thought reminded her of what had only just occurred. One of those _bad things._ Somewhere close by, his mother lurked, unaware of her presence. Norma had forgotten for a little while, having just been pleased with seeing Once-ler. She started to wonder if he had heard the whole argument and that was why he had known she was out there. That was probably the case. She asked her heart if it was the right time to bring it up, and it shrugged back at her.

"Hey... can I ask you something?" Norma began, unease dripping from her words. Once-ler's eyes had drifted shut at some point between his proud smirk and her self-doubting thoughts. His eyebrows raised in response to her voice. She took it as permission to continue.

"It's about your mom. Or your whole family. Did you hear what went on at your front door?" the words didn't come out easily. She didn't want to be the one quoting if he had, in fact, not heard a thing. He did react at first. The room fell into a silence that creeped under her skin and stayed. It itched and begged to be broken by more of her questions. But, she knew very well that once you scratched, it never stopped.

"I heard," was all he finally said. Norma could feel the wind whisk out of her in a sigh of relief. His reply had been short and empty, though. Lifeless just like his body. He didn't open his eyes. He didn't express any body language whatsoever. Norma couldn't predict what he was thinking.

"Did you want to, maybe, talk about it?" Norma tried to sound counselling, finding herself placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. This time he looked up, eyes open and blue, but bloodshot. His feelings started to show better through his concrete face.

"My mom just wants the best for me," he whispered sincerely. He felt that with every part of his being. Everything that she ever told him was just to motivate him. Set him in the correct direction. Right?

"What? No. Your mom obviously wants what's best for _her_. What's best for you is whatever you want to do. If I was your mom, I would be proud of this," Norma quickly defended him against himself, clutching the thneed around her neck for emphasis. Once-ler's smile was weak. He really didn't want to talk about it.

"What about your dad? Or anyone else?"

"My dad's not here. Never knew him. I have brothers. Half-brothers, I guess. I don't know who their father is either. My aunt and uncle live here too. Don't see much of them," Once-ler's answers were choppy with several pauses for breath. Norma's eyes widened as she fixated on his words. It was sad to hear that he never knew his father. Norma was close to her dad and couldn't imagine her life without him. Even if he was a little dorky at times. She loved him and she needed him for all those things that dads needed to do. She wondered if his father ever looked back and wondered about him.

"I'm sorry..." Norma mumbled, unsure of what to say now. She was at a loss.

"Don't sweat it," Once-ler laughed a little, but she could tell it was half-hearted, "It's things like that that make you stronger, right?"

Norma thought on this. Once-ler didn't behave like a strong individual. His mindset was hard to determine. She decided before that his confidence levels were purely situational. A rollercoaster of ups and downs. As an example, he was completely proud of his thneed, but was easily convinced it wasn't that great for limited times. He was always second guessing himself. His mother's attitude toward the things he did in his free time couldn't have been helping him with this, either. And he didn't have a father to run to when his mother wasn't giving him the support he needed.

"Do your brothers knit or play music like you?" Norma brought up as she pondered. Maybe the three of them suffered through this upbringing together as frustrated artists.

Once-ler laughed, "No."

"Oh."

Once-ler really didn't want to talk about this. At least, not right now. His mind was spinning and he kept feeling worse and worse with each passing minute. All the talking was leaving his throat raw and he wasn't sure if he could muster out any more information anyhow. He looked to Norma almost desperately, trying to clear away the stickiness running down his trachea.

She saw it in his eyes and knew it was time to stop talking. She pulled the guitar back onto her lap and began to fiddle around with its strings again. She watched the relief come over him. There were a lot of things about Once-ler that she didn't know. As she thought about it more, there were many things he didn't know about her either. Building up a friendship took a lot more work than she first realized. It didn't happen overnight, and it wasn't going to happen in two months either. He'd tell her things when he wanted to, she supposed. Pressing for information would only push him away, she knew that much.

"Hey. So let's make a pact," she sang with a strum that almost sounded okay, "That we will help each other with our dreams."

"Okay," was all that Once-ler replied, allowing his eyes to drift closed.

"We'll study music together," Norma went on, "We'll go to college and we will take the same classes and knit thneeds on all our breaks."

Once-ler smiled in his half-sleep.

"We'll be amazing," she whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This was supposed to be finished yesterday. Or the day before. I sort of rushed the end to get it done before I have to go to work this morning. If there are any obvious spelling or grammar errors, it's because I haven't proofread it yet! But I will later on tonight or tomorrow. Anyway, I'd like to really, truly, 100% honestly thank my readers. I can't believe I have so many! I have never been so successful on the internet before. v.v I love you all and you really keep motivating me to make it to the end with this. It'll be the first time I ever finished a story! I can't wait! Thank you!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Wow. So you promised to go to college together? That's so cute!" Audrey squeaked, overjoyed with this new development. Grammy's story had started to get rocky, leaving her with a mixed array of emotions to deal with. She was sad one moment and ecstatic the next. It was hard to keep up with all the feelings the past was bringing up. She could tell, too, that Grammy herself was having a hard time with her feelings. She seemed to wear the emotion that matched with each scene as if it were happening to her right that very moment. It was obvious that the Once-ler had left a mark on her, big enough to still sting so many years later. Grammy smiled at her, but it was hard to read.

"Well, we promised each other a lot of things over the course of the school year. Life's full of promises, and promises were made to be broken," Grammy explained, slow and blank. But she sounded sad. She was sad. Ted looked between Audrey and his grandmother, at a loss for words. He wasn't sure how to feel anymore. All the sensations had eventually dulled to a point where he was nothing but listening. Listening and absorbing while trying not to guess the ending. He shielded away from the ending like it was sunlight on a bright Summer day. He didn't want to feel dread.

Audrey felt her heart ache. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. When the story started, she had gone in thinking of it as a fairy tale. A beautiful fairy tale about love and Truffula trees. But it wasn't. This was a true event in Grammy's life. A page that she had turned once, and then reread several times. Audrey wanted to still believe that everything would have a happy ending, but it was getting harder as the story kept growing. But what is today if not for yesterday?

"I caught his pneumonia," Grammy suddenly giggled, "Probably when his mom came knocking on the door and he threw me out his window."

**"""""**

Norma had been strumming away a mediocre lullaby as Once-ler slept peacefully in his bed, when the knock had suddenly erupted at the door. She silenced the guitar and stared toward the sound like a deer caught in headlights. What was she supposed to do now? She felt her bones jitter and her muscles twitch as her eyes darted around the room for a place to hide.

"Oncie! It's time for dinner! You might be sick, but you still have to come downstairs and eat at the table like everyone else!" his mother called through the door after not receiving any response. Once-ler began to stir when the sound waves reached his eardrums. His eyelids fluttered open and he looked over to Norma, who was now standing and pacing around the room. It took him a few seconds for the panic to suddenly rush like fire through his arteries.

"Norma!" he hissed, launching to his feet and toward her. She froze up, silent, unsure of what to do. He stood in front of her with the same clueless expression. Their feet remained plastered into the floor as possibilities ran through their thoughts at miles a minute. Norma wished she could simply vanish. Once-ler did too. He considered stuffing her in his closet as one of the many options.

"I'm sorry about this," he suddenly whispered when the worthy plan dawned on him. Norma didn't have time to question it before he was grabbing her and dragging her over toward his window. He opened it up as wide as he could and picked her up into his arms. She fumbled and fidgeted like a stray cat.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she whispered in distress, wanting to scream. She knew exactly what he was doing, though. It was a battle inside of her not to yelp and cry out as he tried to toss her out the window. Her feet and arms flailed, resisting with all her might. It was then that she realized she was afraid of heights.

"Please just co-operate," he grunted, pressing harder with his twiggy arms. He wasn't very strong, especially in his unhealthy state. He began to cough with the strain, no free hands to shield her away from it. But, before he knew it, he had successfully tossed her out the window and she let out a short scream that was finalized with a thump with the ground. He stuck his head outside to make sure she was okay, still violently coughing. It wasn't that far down. She was sitting on the cement with a displeased look on her face.

"Sorry," he whispered again, in between chokes, tossing her backpack down to her. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to curse and swear at him. She wanted to pelt rocks at his window. At him. But she knew better. She stood up and stormed away.

"_Self-entitled brat_… Oncie?" his mother muttered to herself and then called in again.

"I'm coming, mom," he replied, still unable to tame his coughing fit.

**"""""**

"I had it bad, and it was mid-November before I saw Once-ler again," Grammy explained with a half-hearted chuckle, "Once-ler had made it back to school a week before me. There was an early snow on the ground..."

**"""""**

"Norma!" Once-ler cried out, running toward her in a gallop. He had been waiting for her at the crosswalk. The two of them had talked over the phone each and every day since they had fallen ill, so he had known that she would be back to school that morning. He darted across the street as soon as the light had changed, straight for her. She felt her own feet begin to speed up when their eyes met. The dragging of her feet quickly became a speed walk, which in turn rapidly transformed into a sprint. When the two of them reached each other, they practically collided. They shared the warmest hug they could have mustered on that cool, crisp morning. They melted into each other, disappearing into clouds of breath.

"Once-ler, I can't believe how long it's been," Norma was almost blubbering. She felt tears sting her eyes. Even throughout the weeks that she had been sick in bed, suffering traumatically, one of the worst parts of it had been not being able to spend time with him. She missed him. She missed his guitar and his silly songs. She missed his thneeds. She missed their hill and pelting him with marshmallows. The way he held her back told her that he had missed her too, and it warmed her inside and out.

Once-ler then suddenly pulled away, "I have something to show you!" He dropped his bag to the ground and quickly shuffled through it, pulling out a peachy orange fluff. He held it up proudly, a grin spreading across his face. It was another thneed. One of many. While he had been sick, he had spent most of his time knitting. He was now up to ten full thneeds and a several half thneeds. He was starting to run out of yarn. Norma stared quietly.

"It's another thneed," she laughed, taking it from him and gliding her fingers along its fibres. It was soft, as they always were. It was also unique in its curves and twists. She was a little surprised that this was the first thing he wanted to talk about after not seeing each other for nearly three weeks.

"The latest one," he responded, "I think I've really perfected it this time!"

"Well, excluding the fact that it's _orange_."

"Hey now! One day, thneeds will come in every colour!" Once-ler exclaimed while flailing his arms into the air with emphasis. He then quickly snatched his thneed back and wrapped it around his neck. It seemed to Norma that of all the things a thneed could be, it always made a good scarf. If nothing else.

The two of them started towards the school. It was closing in on 9:00 AM and they both needed to get to their first period classes. It was sad to say goodbye already, but they did it with grace. It was only one period, after all.

They both survived first period without going into withdrawal. They reunited in business class like long lost lovers. Or friends. Class time was a series of whispers and giggles while completely neglecting the lesson. Norma was behind, but Once-ler had helped her catch up a bit over the phone the first week he was back and she had been still sick. Second period ended just as it had begun. The two of them clueless.

It was too snowy to sit in the grass, so Norma and Once-ler spent the lunch break indoors. They found a nice little corner in a hallway, quiet and away from most of the other hallway dwellers, and sat. Once-ler had brought his guitar and it only took seconds for it to find its way to Norma's lap instead of his. She hadn't had the opportunity to play in weeks.

"So, it's time for a guitar lesson," Norma declared alongside a clashing twang. Once-ler cringed and laughed.

"Well." he began, examining her and his guitar. Where to begin? He remembered back to when he first picked up a guitar and strummed a few notes. It hadn't been instant magic or anything, but it had come pretty naturally over time. He had_ never _made anything sound like the incredible _noise_ Norma was capable of making. But she was getting better, nonetheless. Slowly, but all on her own. He was a useless teacher and he knew it. But a promise was a promise.

"Well?" she echoed him with a singsong voice.

"Well..." he repeated, thinking carefully. What had he been thinking when you was teaching himself to play guitar? Why could he only draw a blank? Imagining himself teaching Norma to play the guitar was like the equivalent to teaching her how to breathe. How could he really explain it?

"Maybe I can teach through example," he mumbled, pulling the guitar out of her grasp and into his lap. He positioned it carefully and took a second to think. He took a deep breath, and began to play. A peppy tune filled the hallways. His eyes moved back and forth from his fingers to Norma, who watched him intently. She was trying to absorb, but it was difficult. His fingers moved fast and the music consisted of so many sounds. She tried guessing which notes were coming out of which strings as he plucked along.

He paused in thought, and then started again, clearing his throat quietly, "Everybody needs a thneed. A fine thing that all people need! The thneed is good, the thneed is great! And it's only $3.9-"

"What?" Norma began to laugh. The music halted abruptly with a few hiccupping notes. Once-ler had a blush deepening in his cheeks and a pout on his lips.

"Hey, it_ rhymes_!" he whined, feeling awkward. He had already felt a little uncomfortable playing in the first place, without Norma laughing at him.

"Aww, I just wasn't expecting you to sing about the thneed. It's good! Keep working on it!" Norma kept giggling, but she meant no offense. It was cute to see just how obsessed he really was with his silly thneed. She tugged on his thneed scarf that he was still wearing around his neck and blew him a raspberry. He was still pouting, but it was mixed in with a little confusion.

"Well, I thought it was pretty important to have a theme song," Once-ler explained thoughtfully, face suddenly lighting up.

"I guess so."

` "Well, think of it this way. When you watch television, how often do commercials communicate to you through song?"

"Fairly often."

"Exactly!" Once-ler exclaimed, "People receive information well when it gets stuck in their head as a catchy jingle."

"As true as that is, sometimes if a song is too catchy, it just annoys people," Norma added with a blink.

Once-ler huffed, strumming slowly, "What do _you_ know about business, anyway?"

"Well, we're in the same business class, so probably as much as you do."

Once-ler tried not to laugh. He tried as hard as he could to hold a straight face and glare. The two of them burst into laughter in harmony. It echoed down the hallways and for a little while, it was all that they really were. If it could always be that simple. Laughter. The best medicine? Norma could have used a little more of this when she had actually been sick.

"So what are your classes next semester?" Norma was the one who decided to bring them back down again. Once-ler froze in thought, shuffling through his memory.

"Uhm... English, Philosophy, and Science," he answered, speaking as the answers came to him mind. Only three classes again? Norma was jealous that he had saved his eleventh grade spare. Why hadn't she thought of that? Twelfth grade was practically a walk in the park for Once-ler.

"When is your spare?"

"Second period."

"Really?" Norma felt her heart jump up into her throat. They had matching spares next semester! She jumped to her fee, squeeing and dancing around the hallway. How great would it be spending every second period and lunch period together? Imagining all that time he would have to teach her guitar. And knitting. But mostly guitar. And she'd start teaching him how to read and write music so the two of them could start writing together. They would be collaboration. It was going to be amazing.

"Well, I think we should make knitting a priority," he said, almost as if replying to her thoughts, "The thneed isn't going to perfect itself you know."

"Oh hush. My fingers aren't going to teach themselves _either_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So this may seem weird, but I've actually started writing this fanfiction backwards. That's why this chapter took a while, because I was more focused on the last couple chapters instead. This chapter is a bit all over the place. I'm trying to kick it into motion. I'm chugging along a little bit. I have notes all over the place with all the things I want to remember to include. It's funny but sad. Have been really excited about how the last couple chapters are turning out! Too bad I can't post them yet! :P Also, I started posting this on tumblr as well, so if you're here because you found me on tumblr, let me know! I'm curious. Thanks again for reading! I love you all~


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Late January brought on the full wrath of Winter. It had snowed every day for the last seven days and the snow banks were starting to get too big to just simply walk around. The second semester was finally underway. Norma awkwardly climbed over the snow that had been left behind by a snow plow when the light changed. She slid down the other side and stumbled onto the street. The crosswalk light was already counting down from ten. She ran across.

Once-ler was waiting on the other side. He laughed as she started running, stumbling on snow that had been left behind in the street. He could see her puff up her cheeks in response to his chuckling and it only made him laugh more. This triggered Norma puffing up her cheeks even more, which triggered even more laughter. It was an endless cycle until Norma reached him on the other side of the street.

"Here, let me help you," Once-ler offered politely, extending a hand to her. Norma stared carefully at his hand and then at the snow bank between them. She grabbed a hold of his palm tightly in her own and started climbing. Once-ler grimaced, realizing she was a lot heavier than he had thought. Hadn't he thrown her out a window? He must have been so high on his fever at the time to have realized his arms were turning to mush. He felt his arm shaking at the joint as she pulled herself up and over. As she stumbled down the snow bank, she tripped and released his hand followed by a yelp. On reflex, Once-ler quickly moved to catch her. Successfully she wound up in his arms, unscathed. On the other hand, he was now on the ground with her on top of him. A sharp pain had stabbed into his back on impact.

"Oww," he whispered, trying not to make too much of it. Norma was laughing, though, squeezing him tightly. He smiled, bringing up a hand and patting her head gently. She was wearing a pinkish-red hat. It was soft to touch, but he couldn't help but wonder if her hair would have been that soft if the hat hadn't have been there. Probably softer.

"Wait a minute!" Once-ler exclaimed, pushing the girl off of him to examine her, "Is that...?"

"Yup! Do you like it? I think it's super trendy!" Norma quickly answered excitedly, turning her head from one side to the other as if to model the thneed hat. Once-ler couldn't contain his grin.

"I love it!" he confirmed brightly, staring at his thneed in awe. It was a lot like the hood, except none of it was wrapped around the face or neck. It sat on her head delicately, like a swirl of pink frosting topping off the already sweet cupcake. Imagine if she had a second thneed to wear as a matching scarf?

"I knew you would," Norma said with a smile as she finally stood to her feet and brushed off the snow with her gloved hands. This time it was her turn to be of assistance, offering up a hand to help Once-ler up. He gladly took it, pulling himself back up into a standing position. It was amazing how much he loomed over her. It wasn't intimidating though, like some may think. Once-ler was too kind and lacked the upper body strength to be _intimidating_.

She hugged him quickly and they started their way toward the school. Winter break had come and gone. She and Once-ler had spent most of it on their hill, filling the air with music and thneeds. It was cold sitting in the snow, but it was still their favourite place to go. When it ended and final exams began, they studied together too. They were both pretty uneasy about their business exam, realizing they had _actually_ paid attention for less than half the classes. It was hard to study for a business exam either way. It was actually hard to study at all with your best friend continually distracting you about thneeds or music theory. But they both passed. One a little better than the other, but no names would be mentioned.

Norma's first class was math. She walked into the classroom after waving off Once-ler. It was a room full of blank faces. Norma didn't recognize anyone. There may have been a few previous classmates dotting the crowd with a little familiarity, but she wasn't sure. The last semester she had spoke to no one but Once-ler. She even stopped saying hello to Abigail at some point. Or had it been the other way around? Norma had memories of her peers being more communicative than they seemed to be now. Had she isolated herself? She didn't think about it.

"Hey," she heard from behind her. She hadn't realized she was still standing, examining the classroom. In from behind her Abigail had appeared. She greeted her like old times, but with less of a smile. They had drifted even further apart than where they had began.

"Hey," Norma echoed, "It seems we'll be spending first period together again this semester."

"Yeah," Abigail replied quietly. She walked away then, without anymore words for Norma. She sat in a desk with no empty seats around it. Norma found herself her own seat on the other side of the room. Math class began with the bell.

It ended with the bell too. Norma collected her things quickly and left the class before most anyone else had even realized class was over. She ran down the hallways, eager to be there when Once-ler stepped out of his own classroom. Somewhere in the middle of the two classes she came to a crashing halt.

"Yipes!" she heard Once-ler scream, girlishly per usual. She had taken a tight corner without looking and ran straight into him as he was doing the same. He had obviously had the same idea. They were both sitting on the tiled floor, tushes sore from the impact. They laughed it off.

"What are you in such a hurry for, _huh_?" Norma questioned suspiciously as she brought herself back to a standing position. She squinted her eyes his way as if she didn't already know. Once-ler stuttered nervously, a wave of shyness suddenly coming over him. He was trying to explain himself but gibberish spewed out instead. Maybe she had ran into him a little harder than she had thought. Knocked a few screws loose.

"Woah, are you okay?" she asked, eyes softening out of their gag glare. He pinched his lips together between his teeth, annoyed with himself for his sudden inability to speak. How embarrassing.

"I'm fine," he then said stubbornly, standing up and adjusting his guitar strap. It was a shock the thing was still all in one piece after all the abuse it had seen over the last five months. But Norma insisted that he always have it with him. Just in case they needed to burst into song, or something. It felt awkward at first, always lugging around his guitar on his back through school and town. He would often get questioning stares that would burn holes into his flesh. But eventually they stopped or he stopped noticing. He was pretty sure it would feel awkward to_ not_ have it nowadays. Like it had become a part of his body, almost as important as a hand or a foot. Almost.

"Good," and with that, Norma grabbed his hand and bolted down the hallway. Where was she going? She wasn't sure. They had a whole period and a lunch break to do whatever they wanted to. They could go anywhere! She longed for their spot by the school sign or one of the picnic tables behind the school, but it was just too cold. She'd have to settle. When the snow started in November, the two of them had made their home a secluded corner of one of the many hallways of the school. It was just as accessible as any other hallway, but it was quieter. She knew Once-ler appreciated the quiet, and so did she. She set it as her destination, continuing to sprint down the hallway, Once-ler practically waving in the wind behind her. He might have been screaming at one point, but he wasn't anymore.

"Can you believe I got homework on the first day?" Norma whined when they reached the specific hallway corner. She dropped Once-ler's hand and her backpack to stretch lazily.

"I didn't," Once-ler smiled, following her to a seated position, backs against the wall. He stuck out his tongue and blew her a raspberry. Norma glared, quickly grabbing a hold of it between her thumb and her index finger before he put it back into his mouth. His eyes widened as he tried to pull away.

"Oww..." he sputtered when Norma pinched tighter to keep it. She then let go and laughed, wiping away his saliva on her pant leg.

"I don't need your attitude, boy," she joked. Her train of thought then changed. Her hands found their place on his guitar, tearing it away from him as if it was really hers. He was used to this. It didn't phase him. She propped it up into a playable position on her lap. A few pleasant little sounds escaped it as she brushed her fingers along the strings.

The rest of the first semester and the Winter break had been put to good use. Once-ler had started seriously trying to teach her how to play, putting more effort into it than she expected. He didn't know how to explain any of the concepts he was trying to get across with words, so he taught through examples. She started to learn what notes came out with certain finger arrangements as opposed to what finger arrangements produced certain notes.

"What was that?" she asked once when he strummed an elegant little chord she couldn't place.

"I don't know," he had answered honestly, looking up at her with a smile, "But it sounded nice, right?"

She also spent a lot of her alone time teaching herself. She would take what she learned from Once-ler home with her and apply it to her lesson books that she had convinced her mom to get for her. Even her dad tried to help out, giving what little knowledge he had as pieces of advice along the way. She was nowhere near as magical as Once-ler yet, but she at least sounded bearable.

"You are my sunshine..." she sang quietly with her strumming, pausing and looking to Once-ler for approval. He smiled, motioning her to continue.

She started over gleefully, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray-"

"You'll never know dear, how much I love you. So please don't take my sunshine away," Once-ler finished. Norma stared at him, possibly blushing. She loved hearing sing. Especially such a cute song.

"S-sorry," he stammered, complexion changing to scarlet, "I didn't mean to turn your solo into a duet."

"What? No! Do it more often!" she exclaimed, pretending to dry away tears that weren't actually there. Once-ler rolled his eyes, looking away, cheeks still a little flushed. He still didn't see what Norma thought was so amazing about his singing or his music. He only played for fun. Not to woo girls or make fans. But Norma liked to refer to herself as his first groupie at times, which in turn made him a bit uncomfortable.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" a wave a seriousness suddenly came over Norma's voice. Once-ler looked over nervously, nodding.

"If the school had a talent show, would you enter?"

"No."

"What? Not even with me?"

"No," Once-ler repeated, eyelids lowered into a dead gaze. He loved to play around with his guitar and sing whatever bounced around in his mind, but that was it. He had no desire to perform for others. He had gotten_ used_ to playing for Norma. He trusted her enough. There was no interest, though, to play for the rest of his school. Music was his hobby. It was his knitting, his thneed, that he could imagine putting up on stage. But not in a mediocre high school talent show. No, he had much bigger dreams than that.

"Come on, Once-ler," Norma pouted, "If there was one, I bet we'd win."

"If there was one, I'd stay home that day," he replied coolly, looking away from Norma's puppy-eyes and to the wall on the other side of the hall. Norma's heart ached a little at the blunt rejection. She saw such potential in Once-ler that he seemed to constantly overlook. _Talent_ was the perfect word to describe what he had. Even without the knowledge or the skill, he could still produce music that she could only dream of making. But he always shrugged it off when the topic came up. He'd change the subject to something else. Thneeds. He talked about thneeds the way she wished he would talk about music. But a thneed could only get him so far.

"Well, there isn't a talent show," Norma sighed, strumming a few sad notes. She had little dreams of her and Once-ler playing together. For themselves primarily, but then moving up and performing for others. She imagined the two of them writing songs together. Stringing along cute little words together and making them so much more. She imagined duets. Songs with two different perspectives. They'd pretend to be lovers and sing to each other. They'd sing about their friendship. All the real things. They'd be a little band with big dreams. But Once-ler didn't seem game. He wanted to sing about his thneed or his day and then ditch the guitar and knit the hours away. His dreams were different than hers, and she was starting to understand that a little bit more.

"Good," Once-ler replied quietly. He turned his eyes back to Norma and tried to smile. He could tell he had made her sad which in turn made him sad. Sometimes it seemed she had a very different understanding of the situation than he did. Like she knew things that he didn't know. Or maybe it was the other way around. He knew what he wanted. Did she?

The silence in the hallway suddenly dawned on them. It was creaky and awkward, the two of them breathing slowly as to not be the only sound. They both seemed to realize personally, at the same time, that there was still a lot that went on in their heads that always went unsaid. Talk of dreams seemed to be quietly swept under the rug. Dreams. They both had visions, but they didn't reflect each other. They both knew but didn't. Norma was in denial and Once-ler just left it to be assumed.

"There's something I need to tell you..." Once-ler allowed his voice to enter the silence. Norma's eyes were wide with curiosity, waiting for him to finish. Her thoughts went wild, as they always did with cliffhangers. He grimaced a bit, afraid of what her reaction would be.

"Well..." he began slowly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Finally finished chapter 14. :3 Remember when I was posting a chapter a day? I miss those days. I feel like I update so slowly now... but I guess it could be a lot worse. Anyway, I hope my beautiful readers like this chapter. :D Left it off like that to be annoying~ Thank you for reading. Thank you for reading so far in! Wow, you're amazing! You've survived fourteen chapters? I love you! Oh, and, I am just going to quickly disclaim the song You Are My Sunshine. :3 It's just such a cute song that I could imagine them singing together, that I had to~


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"You got a part-time job?" Norma questioned with a blink. She didn't quite understand.

"Yes, for the weekends. I'm running out of yarn and I can't keep using your lunch money to pay for it," Once-ler explained with his eyes on the tiled floor. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes.

"The weekends?" she questioned again, more quietly. The words were replaying in her head slowly.

"Yes, they didn't need anyone for after school hours..."

"But, the weekends are ours..." Norma trailed off, following his gaze to the tiles. Weekends were the days they could do whatever they wanted. Go wherever they wanted to go. It was the days all the really exciting things happened. Norma cherished their weekends and looked forward to them all week. She couldn't imagine ever willingly giving them up. But next to her sat the boy who did.

"Hey now. I figured that we have our spare and lunch period together now, plus a few hours after school all week. It's only 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday. We still have plenty of time!" Once-ler became defensive, glaring up at Norma. His eyes quickly softened when he saw Norma, staring down at the floor with sad eyes. She looked heart broken. He had expected her to be a little bummed, but his heart hurt to see her so upset. He tried to find soothing words inside himself.

"Where are you working?" she asked, not bringing her eyes up. Once-ler hesitated, words still stuck together ungracefully at the back of his throat.

"The café in the busy part of town," he spewed, "It's for a good reason! Thneeds aren't going to make themselves out of nothing!"

"You're right," she whispered. She tilted her head up and smiled weakly at Once-ler. It was hurting but she didn't want it to show anymore. Who was she to guilt trip him anyway? It's not like they were _married_. If anything, a part-time job was a good step! He was showing independence and responsibility. She should be proud of him. And she was, in some ways. She was disappointed, but proud. She was a living paradox.

"I am?" he laughed nervously, trying to read into Norma's face. No, she didn't mean the smile she was forcing up. He could see that as clear as day. He thought carefully. Ten hours a week wasn't really a big deal, he felt. And it would be all going to a good cause. You have to spend money to earn money, right? And you have to earn money to spend any money at all.

"Thneeds won't knit themselves out of nothing," she quoted him, sticking out her tongue with a smile. Thneeds. Thneeds. Thneeds. She eyed her backpack on the floor in front of her, envisioning her thneed inside of it. It would be crumbled up in the bottom by now, waiting to be worn again. As a hat? Probably. She didn't want anything to do with it right now, though. In her imagination, it was the mistress. More often than not, Norma felt like she was fighting for attention between herself and the thneed. As the days went on, the pie graph changed. What used to be 80/20 had slowly shifted to 60/40. At that very moment, she wasn't sure which was which. Was she winning or losing?

"Exactly!" Once-ler agreed cheerfully, seemingly forgetting she had ever been upset at all.

"Exactly," she echoed in whisper. In spirit, she saw herself rise to her feet and allowing his guitar to fall to the floor. It would let out a revolting crash but she would walk away, dragging her backpack along. In body, she didn't move. Her blood tingled in slow motion down her vessels, numbing her toes and fingertips. What was she feeling right now? How could she explain it to him? Would he even care to understand? It was a possessiveness inside of her that yearned to get angry. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to tell him he was a jerk for even considering giving their weekends away. But she didn't. She stared ahead blankly, the feeling in her lips starting to fizzle out too. What was she becoming?

"I figured you could always learn how to knit and work on thneeds whenever I'm working."

"You_ figured_ that, huh?" Norma was surprised to hear herself sounding so cold. She had been trying to learn to knit since early December. She wasn't very good at it. It seemed every time he gave her a lesson, she had forgotten everything she had already learnt. She made the same mistakes over and over and it became very frustrating. But Once-ler was very patient with her. He would reteach her again and again without as much as a sigh. And she wanted to learn, for Once-ler. She had promised, after all. She wanted to help him as much as she could with his thneeds. She really did. But there was something in the way he made it the only thing that mattered that irritated her.

Once-ler looked at her uneasily, sensing the harshness in her tone, "Well... there's no rush to learn. I understand these things take time. A thneed in itself takes time!"

"Let's not talk about thneeds for a little while," Norma spoke slowly, feeling a tension build up inside of her. This wasn't right. Couldn't she reason with herself? Once-ler was sitting right next to her, obviously with no intention of hurting her. He just had dreams, right? That's what it was all about!

"What? Why? I was interested in discussing any other uses you had discovered with your-"

Suddenly, Norma was on her feet, just as she had imagined. Once-ler's guitar crashed into the floor, cutting him off. He stared, startled and confused. Before he could inquire, she was lifting her bag to her shoulder and walking away. No words. No thoughts. She got up and left the hallway, turning the first corner away. Once-ler stared with his mouth agape. What? What had he done? The space where she once sat now existed empty. He was alone, his guitar still humming from the impact.

Norma had broken into a sprint once she had turned the corner. She didn't want him to follow her. Would he? If he did, she couldn't imagine out running his long, lanky legs. But she didn't look back to find out. She could barely see ahead, tears stinging her eyes sharply. Why was she crying? Why was she running? Why couldn't she ever find words to match up with her feelings? Whatever it was, it hurt in her middle like a pulse, drumming along with her heartbeat. It stung in her lungs like the walls were trying to stick together with every gasp for air she took. It was like drowning in oxygen. She was drowning.

She found herself jogging briskly down a few flights of stairs to the main foyer of the school. There weren't many others around at this time during second period. Students were in their classes and teachers were teaching them. A few strays wandered past, glancing at her curiously. She stood at the center, no longer sure where her legs would take her. It was a big school until you knew your way around. Once-ler could easily find her if she remained still. But did he want to find her? Did she want to be found? She still wasn't even sure what she was running from. Could she really be so upset about him getting a job?

"No," she whispered to herself. It wasn't the job. It was the_ carelessness_. The fact he hadn't even asked first or given her any warning. Sure, who was she to say anything about what he did outside of their time together? They were just friends, right? Maybe even best friends, right? But yet, she still felt neglected. She wouldn't have said no. She would have supported him. It was easy to say that now, though.

"Norma... you can talk about your feelings and stuff, you know," she heard from behind her. She spun around quickly, finding Once-ler a couple meters away, a profound look on his face. His bottom lip was trying not to pout as his eyes tried not to look away. He was nervous. Maybe even afraid. He had never truly seen Norma upset like this. Sad, yes. Annoyed, yes. But angry? Not with him anyway. He didn't want her to snap at him like she did his mother.

"Once-ler..." she started, every little feeling concentrating into her gut. It shook inside of her. It wanted out. Somehow, it had to get out.

"I don't know how to say this, but... I really am here for you," he went on, cautiously. He had never been as close to someone as he was to Norma. He didn't want to screw it up. Did friends say things like that to each other? How could he let Norma know that he cared?

"I..." Norma bit down hard on her lip as the pressure built up inside of her. But it was already over. It had already started seeping from her tear ducts and her sweat glands. It was only a matter of time...

"_I hate you_!" she shouted. It echoed throughout the school. Down the hallways and out the windows. Probably even throughout the classrooms and the offices. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her forehead creased. The most genuine anger he had ever seen stared back at him, enraged. He felt his knees tremble.

She threw herself at him, crying into his chest. He didn't know how to react. Those words felt stamped to his face, the ink slowly bleeding into his pores. It hurt. It more than just hurt. It _ached_. But she was sobbing violently, thus instinct forced his arms around. He held her tightly, whispering little consoling nothings into her hair. It didn't help much. At least, not at first. She cried hard and long. She must have had a lot of tears saved up, he felt. He squeezed her and patted her hair and did all the things he knew. He wanted anything to make her stop crying. He knew if it kept going on much longer, he would start crying too, and the two of them would just be a weepy mess on the floor by lunch hour.

"It's funny, if you hate me, since I love you," he whimpered, chin rested on the top of her head. The sobbing seemed to stop, almost abruptly.

"You what?" she questioned, pulling herself away from his chest slowly. Her face was a mess. Her eyes were red and baggy and her skin flushed. Tears were wherever they could be, her bangs sticking to her face. Her nose was running pretty badly too. She sniffled quietly while looking up at him.

"Well, I mean, it'd be pretty sad if my best friend hated me," Once-ler laughed weakly. He didn't truly realize what he had just said.

"You love me?"

"Well, you are the best friend I've ever had. Actually, you're the_ only _friend I've ever had..."

Norma watched Once-ler carefully. He was looking down at her, blinking. He was relieved to see she had stopped crying, but confused about her questions. Her eyes searched him for more answers and he stared back quietly. What more could he say?

Norma smiled softly, "I love you too, Once-ler."

"But I thought you just said you hated-"

"Oh be quiet!" she huffed.

With that, the lunch bell rang. It didn't take long for the halls and foyer to fill with migrating students. Once-ler and Norma held their place at the center, the crowds swarming in around them. The silence was gone. The peace was gone. Norma eyed Once-ler as he gazed around at all the invaders. He was starting to get uncomfortable. But, she couldn't see anyone else but him. Even with all the noise around her, she was still curiously watching him. She wondered. She couldn't help it.

**"""""**

"How sweet," Audrey swooned, a love drunk grin spread across her lips. Ted looked at her with concern. It seemed pretty obvious to him that the Once-ler had only meant it in the way of friendship. Just in the same way she loved him. This thought couldn't help but make him frown. Could Audrey ever love him any other way?

"Well, it was certainly a dramatic hour," Grammy laughed at herself in response. Ah, going back in the years really took a lot of effort. She felt the emotions like they were still fresh and it was hard to keep a rational mindset for the children. She could have burst into tears right then, but instead she laughed it off. Comedy as a self-defense mechanism.

"Why were you so upset anyway?" Ted asked curiously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Audrey exclaimed, "She was heartbroken because the Once-ler was putting his thneed before her. Basically, not prioritizing their friendship!"

"Oh..."

"Well, basically. I was pretty selfish back then," Grammy verified with a smile.

"What? No! I think he should have said something first," Audrey quickly disagreed, "It would be like... if you, Ted, joined some club or something, that took place during the times when we went out to take care of the trees. That would really make me sad."

"R-really?" Ted stuttered, wide-eyed. He found it hard to believe. Audrey was sitting next to him, looking down to him with a genuine expression. She felt it, truly. But how? Ted saw himself as a useless 12-year-old in Audrey's eyes. But he did run around town with her, helping her with every tree and listening to everything she could ever dream to say. He was the perfect sidekick. He suddenly felt appreciated, and it warmed his heart a bit.

"Of course," she answered sternly, "I love you, Ted."

"What?" Ted practically choked on his own saliva. He was coughing now, into his lap. Air was trying to fight its way into his lungs, but each cough sent it back to the beginning. His eyes teared up and Audrey gasped and patted his back. The coughing fit ended quickly. He stared up at her, brain half numbed.

"You're the best friend I've ever had," she whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This chapter is either really useless, or really important. :P I LOVE YOU READERS.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The first Saturday without Once-ler ticked by slowly. Norma tried not to imagine all the things she would have been doing instead if Once-ler wasn't working. Her eyes were glued to her bedside clock. Each minute felt like an eternity. She was lying on her side, the bed starting to form in around her. How long had she been there? What time was it? She was staring right into the time but couldn't focus on it.

"Norma... you know, you used to do things on the weekends before you met Once-ler," her mother said from the doorframe. Norma groaned, lifting her body up to a seated position. It was noon, already? She looked over to her mom with a weak smile. It was true, after all. She did used to do things before she met Once-ler. She used to read books or watch television. Do her homework. Tag along for errands with her parents. Tease her little brother. Stuff like that.

"I'm still sleeping," she grumbled, collapsing her head back to her pillow.

Her mother frowned, "Are you lovesick, Norma?"

"_No_!" she instantly denied, shooting back up again, "I just... don't know what to do."

"We could do something together!" her mom cheered. It had been a long time since they had had any mother-daughter time. Ever since Once-ler came into Norma's life, she really didn't see much of her anymore. It was a bittersweet thing. She was so used to her daughter being a loner that it hurt a bit to see her detach for the first time. But, she was also so happy for her to finally have someone she really, truly cared for and cared for her in return. She still hadn't been formally introduced to this boy, though. She had seen him time and time again, usually from the driver's seat of her car, but that was it. How had it already been five months? It was Winter now, shouldn't they be playing indoors around this time of the year?

"Did you have something in mind?" Norma questioned, her voice dull and emotionless. She had been plastered to her bed for a few hours now and felt like the life had been drained out of her. Her mother was probably going to take her shopping or something along those lines. Something boring, but anything at all just to move.

"Well..." her mother thought out loud, looking up at the ceiling as if for ideas. She had already had her coffee and read through the paper. Next she'd probably do some errands, but she didn't want to suggest that. Her daughter was used to whatever fun and exciting things she and Once-ler did all weekend. Not boring grown-up things. On the other hand, what did two 17-year-olds do when they were alone? When she thought back to her teenaged years, she couldn't help but grin.

"Well?" Norma pressed when her mother seemed to go off into a daydream midsentence. She had a dreamy smile on her face that Norma couldn't read. There was a hint of something in it that made her uncomfortable, though.

"Ah! Ahem," her mom cleared her throat, snapping back to reality, "Well, we could go out for lunch."

Norma rolled her eyes and sighed. If it was Once-ler, she would have taken the lead in what to do. She imagined the two of them running around in the snow at the park by their hill. Snowball fight! He would be really bad at dodging, tripping over his own long legs. She saw her snowball hit him straight in the nose and his eyes swell up with tears. He would blink them away though and rub his reddened snout with a stubborn look on his face. It would only provide more incentive to throw more, though. She'd throw so many that he would nearly disappear in the snow! Victory would be hers-

"Norma? Did you not want to?" it was her mother's turn to awaken her back to reality. Norma stared wide-eyed for a second before settling back into the conversation.

"Of course! You pick," she replied with a chipper smile that was partly plastic. She had never felt so fake before. Since the start of her senior year of high school, she had watched herself and her home life change. What used to flow so naturally became so robotic and automatic. Conversations with her parents started getting awkward. Time alone with them became boring. It was that distant teenaged stage everyone talked about that she seemed to skip out on for so long. On the other hand, she didn't feel any different on the inside. Her inner workings seemed to all be functioning the same. It was just the way she displayed them outwardly that had become different. It was like the only socializing that felt right was her time with Once-ler.

"I have just the idea," her mother chirped, waltzing out of the room. Norma could hear her gallop down the stairs with an unjustified amount of enthusiasm. Was there more to this than what met the eye?

Norma eased herself out of bed, touching her feet to the floor gently. Her limbs felt weak and lifeless from the countless hours of being immobile and she feared tumbling over and snapping in half if she wasn't careful. Standing up wasn't as difficult as she imagined though. She was upright in no time and scurrying around the room, getting ready for whatever _lunch_ entailed. She quickly changed out of her pajamas and ran a brush through her hair. It was yesterday's hair. It twisted a bit in a few places and sat in a limp pile on her head. She wasn't up for a shower, though, making due with combing some baby powder along her scalp. Before she left the room, she quickly slid Once-ler's guitar over her shoulder. He had let her borrow it for the whole weekend, possibly as an attempt for forgiveness. After all, if she couldn't have Once-ler on Saturday or Sunday, then his guitar was the next best thing, right? He had laughed when she glared at him for saying that.

She headed down the stairs, taking two at a time, not wanting to keep her mother waiting much longer. She was at the front door when Norma reached the foyer. She slipped into her flats and acknowledged her mom with a smile. The door was then opened and the two of them slipped out.

"So are you planning to rock out at the restaurant?" her mother asked teasingly once they were in the car and driving.

"Pfff... maybe," Norma replied, sticking out her tongue in response. The rest of the car ride was quiet. Norma didn't have any words to say and just watched her town pass by through her window. She wondered a little bit about where they would go, but really, there weren't many options. The town was pretty small and Norma had probably been in every shop and restaurant rooted into the ground. There wasn't much excitement. The scenery blended as she started to imagine herself with Once-ler again. This time they were walking the streets of downtown, quietly and casually. Once-ler would be strumming half-hearted melodies and Norma would be humming along. They'd be looking for a cute little café to eat cake and sip coffee while writing magic music. Once-ler would be a little reluctant at first, as he always was. Unsure of himself and his magnificent talent, per usual. Norma would talk him into it though, with lots of _please_s and _if-you-dos_. She had so many ideas. She just needed Once-ler to help them out of her.

"Doesn't this little café seem perfect?" Norma's mother claimed, summoning her daughter back into the real world. Norma looked up, confusion written into the creases on her forehead.

"I think we could definitely write magic music here…"

"What?" now her mother was the one who was confused.

Norma stared awkwardly at her mom, who was trying to comprehend where the conversation had gone. She then smiled at her daughter, coming to a halt at the curb in front of the main entrance to the café. She waited.

"Are you going to park?" Norma asked as the car idled. Her mom didn't answer. She continued to look back at her with a smile. Norma looked away and to the little café that she had probably eaten at a hundred. It was generic. Cute, but generic. Nowhere near as classy as some of the places her mother liked to go. Norma wasn't even sure if you could get anything other than pastries there. She stared hard at the building, curiosity flowing slowly throughout her. It dawned on her.

"I love you so much! Bye!" Norma squeezed out of her vocal cords in a jumbled up mess of words. She was already outside the car. She closed the door roughly and waved frantically at her mother who was still smiling kindly at her.

"I love you too Normie. Just give me a call if you need a pick up," she replied to her daughter. Norma had turned on her heels, sprinting toward the store before her lips formed the last consonant. Her pleasent smile faded a little. She wanted to believe she was ready to let go, but it still stung in her heart. Her bouncing baby girl was a woman now. Still bouncing, but an adult nonetheless.

"Please,_ please_, don't get your heart broken my little Normie," she whispered to herself before pulling back into the main road and driving away.

Norma opened the door to the café slowly, neverminding the creekiness, and slipped inside. It looked as it always did, small but cozy. It had a warm atmosphere. There was a fireplace and comfy chairs. It had a bar where you could sit and sip your coffee while chatting up the waitress. Or waiter. Norma's eyes flowed along the room from one corner to the next. They stopped when they found their target.

Once-ler stood behind the counter of the bar, taking the order of one of the few customers in the whole store. Counting Norma, there were four. Two of them were already served and sitting at the fireplace discussing worldly matters. At this time of the day she would have expected a lunch rush or something. Norma slowly approached the counter, juggling thoughts in her head of how to surprise her friend.

When the customer had his coffee and walked away from the counter, Once-ler proceeded to serve the next in line, "Good afternoon and welcome to_ Cuddles' Café_. What can I get for... Norma?"

"I'm trying to find a cuddle on the menu. I'm curious how much one is priced at," Norma teased, pretending to search the menu thoughtfully. Her eyes kept falling back to him, though. He was dressed up sharply in his cliché uniform. A white dress shirt was rolled up to his elbows and tucked into his pants. It presented a small logo of the restaurant on the breast pocket stitched in with white thread. Around his neck was a tie, loosely tied, black and striped with pink. His black slacks might have been a little too short for his lanky legs, revealing pink socks that were probably voluntary. A black apron was wrapped around his waist as if it was truly necessary for a cashier. It was still clean and looking new.

"I don't know if it's okay for you to be here, Norma. I can't be talking to you, I have to work," Once-ler hissed through his teeth, glancing around nervously.

"Oh don't be like that! I'm just a customer. A customer that thinks you look pretty spiffy," Norma tried to sound serious as she winked at him flirtatiously, but quickly burst into tearful laughter. Once-ler bit down on his tongue and tried not to react. He felt stupid enough without Norma barging in and announcing it.

He then noticed his guitar on her back, "Oh no. Please no. Go home. No music here, okay?"

"What?" Norma didn't understand until she remembered the weight on her shoulder. Her hand felt at the strap across her chest, a wicked smile slowly coming spreading across her lips.

"Oh my gosh, Norma, _no_," he begged, a look of terror enveloping his face. Norma just continued to smile. Quietly, she looked over the menu.

"Could I get a milkshake?" she straightened up her face and ordered as if she were just a regular customer.

Once-ler stared uncomfortably, "Really?"

"Yes really! Unless you have a better suggestion?"

"No..." Once-ler replied, looking awkwardly up at the menu board behind him, "I haven't ever had anything here before so I can't really give you a suggestion."

"You work here yet you haven't ever eaten here? That's absurd! I think I need to have a talk with your manager about-"

"Norma," Once-ler interrupted abruptly and briefly, his tone serious and unamused. Norma smiled small, looking up at him from all of her five feet and two inches. He looked back down at her, obviously upset. Who was she to waltz into his workplace and make a scene? Not that she had really made a scene yet. Not that she had ever even initially planned on making a scene. He was terrified of leaving a bad first impression on his very first shift. He barely understood the entire coffee lingo thing and kept making mistakes as is. In all honesty, the first two hours of his shift had been horrible in all definitions of the word. He felt stupid in his uniform. He felt stupid trying to maneuver the cash register. He felt stupid trying to talk to customers without sounding stupid. He felt stupid and Norma was here to make him feel stupider.

"Oh, Once-ler," she pouted back at him, seeing the distress in his eyes. She sat herself down at one of the bar stools, propping her elbows onto the counter. She rested her chin in her hands and watched him, "Get back to work now. I'll be good. But I still want that milkshake."

Once-ler bit his bottom lip, but complied, "What flavor?"

"Mmmm..." Norma thought, glancing back up at the menu for the selection, "I guess strawberry."

Once-ler turned away and began work on her milkshake. He felt the pressure of Norma's eyes on his back as he reached for all the required ingredients. He scooped strawberry ice cream into the blender carefully, keeping precise note of measurements and ratios. He added milk and secured the lid, making sure it was tight as to not have a repeat of what happened the first time he tried to make a milkshake. Everywhere, it went everywhere. End of story. He pulsed the ice cream and milk until smooth. Norma was watching in awe, but he didn't notice. She was a little amazed even if this was a simple task that could even be done at home. It wasn't that he was making it, but more that odd tingling because he was making it for _her_.

"Uhm, did you want whipped cream? It costs extra," he asked nervous, turning to face her for the second. Norma nodded eagerly and he spun back around. He poured the milkshake into an old fashioned milkshake glass slowly, but surely. He then found the aerosol can of whipped cream – real, not whipped _topping _- and swirled a bit on top with a trembling hand gesture. It was beautiful.

"Obviously you have a gift!" Norma cheered when he placed the pretty little milkshake in front of her. He tried to stay mad with her, but he couldn't help but smile a little. He was kind of proud. It was his first day and before today, he had never made a milkshake before in his life. The first one wound up on the ceiling, so this was a big improvement. He watched Norma dive right in, sucking back more than his own mind would have been able to handle without brain freeze. The straw nearly collapsed on itself as she indulged.

"You have to pay for that, you know."

"Oh yeah..." Norma mumbled through her ice cream. She pulled out five dollars and pretended to slam it onto the table, "Keep the change, love! It's a tip for a job well done!"

"Thanks _miss_," Once-ler answered sarcastically.

Norma drank her milkshake quietly while Once-ler worked. She watched him serve other customers. Clean. Stand around bored. The restaurant didn't seem to get a lot of business despite their tasty milkshakes. Also, the shop itself was beautiful. Norma could see herself spending a lot of time here just existing. Reading, maybe. Small talk with a friend. Homework. Once-ler was wiping down the counter for the fifth time within that hour when she decided it was time.

"Stars shining bright above you. Night breezes seem to whisper I love you," Norma started to sing quietly. Once-ler's guitar had found its way onto her lap and she strummed along slowly, watching her fingers as she played. When she grew a little more comfortable, she looked up and gave her eyes to Once-ler. He had stopped wiping and was staring back at her with a half-lidded glare.

"Birds singing in the sycamore tree. Dream a little dream of me..." she continued, unnerved. A few customers looked over in response to the music, but no one was offended. A few smiles here and there. A giggle. All was at ease except Once-ler.

"Norma, you said you wouldn't-"

"Say nighty-night and kiss me. Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me," she went on. Once-ler blushed a little as she stared into his eyes almost romantically. He wanted to slap her or scream. He wasn't sure. But his biggest fear kept itching at the back of his thoughts. What will his boss do?

"_Wonsler_? What's going on?" suddenly erupted from behind him. He spun around rapidly to find exactly what he feared.

"M-Mr. Cuddles. I'm s-sorry," he stuttered in response. He wasn't sure if that was his real name, but that was how he was told to address him. It made him a bit uncomfortable. Mr. Cuddles looked up at him but Once-ler still felt looked down on. He was an old man. He probably looked older than he actually was. He had stern, tired eyes, that drilled into you with judgment. He and his wife owned the café and hadn't been too impressed with his mistakes thus far. They especially didn't like having to take a mop to the ceiling twenty minutes into his shift. Having a friend over and creating noise pollution throughout the store probably wasn't going to help his case.

"Hmm?" his boss asked, looking around the dining area. He saw Norma, who had silenced herself when the elderly man had come into view. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Oh I have no problem with free entertainment," he then laughed giving Once-ler a rough pat on the shoulder. He walked away, leaving Once-ler alone for the rest of his shift, Norma singing and customers occasionally chiming in and participating. She was singing to him. She never took her eyes off of him, but he was trying to ignore it. He wasn't happy about this. He wanted to be, but he was so unhappy in general that he couldn't be. He faded into the background, waiting for four o'clock to finally roll around.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This chapter was so much better before I tried to write it. It was all planned out in my head but then i went to work and forgot parts of it. I should write notes! Anyway. Thank you, as always, to my wonderful readers. :D You guys are awesome. It's you all that make the story as great as it may be. ;-; Oh and, I am going to disclaim the song_ Dream a Little Dream of Me_, that Norma sings to the Once-ler. I just love that song.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Norma had made the habit of spending the weekends at the Cuddles' Café. Music always filled the air when she was there. She sat and strummed away on Once-ler's guitar as she watched him work. She had gotten a lot better. She could play distinguishable songs and string chords together that actually made sense. She played new songs and old songs. She made up songs and serenaded Once-ler every chance she had. Most of the fellow customers enjoyed it. It was rare for anyone to complain. Some of them even chimed in every now and again. Once-ler, on the other hand, didn't like it. Not at first, anyway. She was receiving handfuls of glares from him each and every day. She didn't understand why. She would toss him a smile in return. He would blush and turn away, back to his work. Was she embarrassing him?

It had been a little over a month since Once-ler obtained his first job. He didn't make too many slip ups anymore. Milkshake didn't end up anywhere but in the glasses nowadays. He still felt unease when interacting with customers. Most of them were easy, making their order and being on their way. But it was the other ones. The ones that gibbed and gabbed about their days and their lives. Regulars that started thinking he was their friend. It made him uncomfortable and it was hard for him to smile.

"_Unosler_!" he heard Mr. Cuddles call out to him – no, he couldn't ever get his name right – from across the store, "Chin up! The customers want to see a chipper boy!"

Once-ler forked up a smile as he wiped the tables in the dining area. Norma was sitting at the bar as usual, singing something to him. He wasn't listening. He was focusing on his plastic smile and his circling palm on the table. He wasn't sure what he had to be chipper about. He wasn't sure when he had become so angsty.

"Yeah, _Uno_," Norma giggled, playing a hard note alongside. Once-ler stared, trying to hide his agony. His boss was on the opposite side of the bar to his friend and they were chatting. The truth was that Mr. Cuddles had developed a fast liking for Norma. He enjoyed her free spirit, so he spoke. Wear more smiles like she does, so he prodded. Many times he had tried to convince her to work for him, but she always declined. She wasn't looking for a job, she would tell him. She was just looking to support her friend.

Once-ler frowned. He was like a ghost in his own workplace. Norma was the only one who really saw him for something other than a bundle of flaws. No, he wasn't the best cashier. He wasn't smiley and spontaneous. But he still felt he was doing well enough of a job for some acknowledgement. But Mr. Cuddles didn't talk to him much unless it was to correct him or get him to clean something. He spent most of the free time chatting up Norma. He loved to see his customers smile and sing along with the little musical girl on the bar stool. He even started giving her milkshakes for free. Once-ler was lucky to get anything 50% off.

"Once-ler, what's wrong?" Norma asked. He jumped a little, surprised to find her right next to him. She was looking down on him with concern as he was hunched over, still wiping the same table. He wasn't even sure what the answer was.

"At this rate, you're going to wipe a hole into that table!" Norma exclaimed, a little tease in her tone. Once-ler tried to smile, but his frown held fast to his lips. Norma mouth mimicked.

"Okay, let me try to explain this…" Once-ler began, standing up straight, and crossing his arms over his chest. He thought carefully about wording and feelings. He wanted to make his point clear and understandable, but also not wound Norma's feelings. She stared up at him now, waiting and bracing herself.

"I know Mr. Cuddles likes you and you're spending your time here with good intentions… but, I really feel it's unprofessional for me to have my friend constantly here every time I have a shift. I mean, you're kind of distracting…" Once-ler stammered it all out in one breath. He breathed deeply after, feeling his heart trying to settle down. He was afraid to see Norma's reaction. Terrified.

Norma stared straight into Once-ler eyes and never took them away. Even when it started to sting a little bit. His words, in ways made sense, but in other ways didn't. She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh it off and go back to singing her little heart out at her barstool, or if she should respectfully leave. She was here for Once-ler, after all. If he didn't want her here, then what use was she?

"Norma!" she heard Mr. Cuddles call out to her from the bar, "I have some songs I'd really love to hear you learn!"

That was a use she seemed to have fallen into. She looked over and smiled at the older man, running her fingers along the strings of Once-ler's guitar. She had had it for so long she had accidentally called it _her_ guitar. This would always make him laugh a little and call her a thief. Except for when they were here. As soon as Once-ler walked through the doors of the café he would change a little. He would detach himself from her a little and acknowledge her as little as possible. _Professional_, the word he had just used. Once-ler was so serious about his job, she realized. And she was just waltzing in and making light of it. She suddenly felt bad.

"I'm sorry, sir. I actually have to go. My mom is expecting me," Norma replied. Mr. Cuddles seemed disappointed and she felt even worse. She had known this old man for weeks now and she had developed a wordless relationship. She had never known her grandparents, so maybe that was why. He and his wife seemed to quickly love her and she blossomed healthily in their sunshine and rain.

Without any more words she pushed past Once-ler and left the café. Once-ler felt a knot of guilt in his throat. He knew he was being selfish and had not truly explained his reasoning to Norma. Part of him felt relief to see her go, though. He wasn't supposed to be having fun and friends at work. He wasn't supposed to work.

"_One-sir_, come here boy," his boss called out to him as the door swung shut after Norma. Once-ler felt a jolt run up his spine. It felt cold like fear. He looked over and saw the stern expression looking back at him. He made his way over slowly.

"What did you do to my little songstress?" Mr. Cuddles asked abruptly when Once-ler reached him. He didn't sound angry or mean, just to the point.

"What makes you think I did-"

"Okay, you don't need to lie to me. I may be old, but I'm not stupid," Mr. Cuddles interrupted quickly, looking up at Once-ler with all-knowing eyes.

"I don't think you're stu-"

"Let me give you some advice, Once-ler. I was young like you once. Ambitious. All that crap. I had dreams to be much more than the owner of a café no one comes to. But, this is what a girl I knew wanted. An amazing girl who in the end meant more to me than my dreams. Why? Because I realized she was my dream. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"No, not really…" Once-ler admitted, a bit confused.

"Norma is a pretty little dream that you shouldn't be shooing away. And it's more obvious than anything that she wants to be yours. She spends her entire weekend here, strumming away love songs for you when she could be hanging out with girlfriends or whatever it is teenaged girls do on weekends. She gives you all her time and you pretend she's not here because you don't want to seem _unprofessional_?"

"I just, feel like everyone loves her and the only reason you're keeping me is because you don't want to lose Norma," Once-ler confessed awkwardly. It was an ache that had been living inside of him ever since he started working. A selfish ache, but still it was there.

"That's nonsense. Are you kidding me? I love little Norma to pieces, but I love you just the same. You may be a klutzy mess that's all legs sometimes, but you're a hard and honest worker. Hardest worker I've ever hired, to be honest. But you need to stop being all frowny-faced and just enjoy your time here. Sing with Norma. Have fun. Working here is almost like not working at all, the amount of customers you have to serve. You might as well make the best of it. So please - _please_ - take back whatever you said to that girl and brighten up all our days be getting her back in her stool. The place is already feeling dreary again and she's only been gone for ten minutes. Look. Where have all the colours gone?"

Once-ler was still confused. He had a lot of words to take in. But in all those paragraphs, he felt a form of acceptance that he hadn't known was there. He had felt like a meaningless pawn, but Mr. Cuddles finally got his name right.

"But how can I find her? I'm on shift and-"

"Oh believe me, she hasn't gotten far. Just run. Your endless legs are fast, I'm sure," Mr. Cuddles brushed off quickly, making another jab about Once-ler's legs.

"But Mr. Cuddles-"

"Please, just call me Bob. My wife got her café, I think I should be allowed hold onto whatever dignity I have left."

Once-ler blinked, lacking comprehension even still.

"Run, you string bean!"

"O-okay," and with that Once-ler bolted. He wasn't sure what direction he was going. He wasn't sure if he would find Norma at all. She had a head start of nearly twenty minutes. When he stepped out of the café he decided to assume she had gone in the direction of her home, and started to run. It was a few seconds before he realized she was right there, sitting on the curb in front of the restaurant. Her back was too him as she watched the cars as they passed. He almost skidded to a stop on his heels and changed direction back to her. Before words fun their way through his vocal cords, a soft sob escaped Norma.

"You're such a jerk sometimes, Once-ler," she whispered to herself, drying away a few stray tears. She strummed a few sad chords and sighed.

Once-ler took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Norma."

Norma's head quickly spun around to find Once-ler behind her. She gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry," Once-ler repeated, "I want you to come back inside. I want you to play some more and sing some more. I didn't mean to be so mean."

"I don't want to make you look like a bad worker…" Norma frowned.

"No, you don't. I make myself look like a bad worker by trying too hard to not appear to be a bad worker… or something like that. I was being uptight," Once-ler admitted, shamefully. He was staring at his shoes now.

"Did Mr. Cuddles tell you to say that?" Norma smiled weakly.

"Not exactly, but kind of."

Norma started to laugh. She couldn't help herself. Silly Once-ler, so clueless about things. She didn't realize then just how clueless she was too. The two of them, so clueless together about friendship and relationships. She laughed and stopped. She stood and gracefully walked passed Once-ler and back into her weekend stage.

"I'm back!" she cheered, running over to her stool and sitting down.

Mr. Cuddle smiled at her and teased, "Thank goodness, I was starting to think I'd never see you again."

"Oh, I know. Half an hour without me must have been rough."

"It was," she heard Once-ler say from behind her. She spun in her bar stool and grinned arrogantly. She realized then just how much she loved to be loved. She started to strum away and sing, living out a miniature version of her dream. One day, she'd come back to his café when she was older and successful. She and Once-ler, together. They'd play for the little audience just for old-time sake, and bring in more customers than there ever had been. Mr. Cuddles would be so happy and she would realize right then and there how important she had truly been. How important everyone could be.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hey, long time no see! Oh, I'm so sorry. ;-; I had a rough and tumble week, but finally finished chapter 17. Also, I've been working on later chapters that I can't post up yet, I'm sorry! This is a little emotional and dramatic, but I guess that was just the mood I was in. I hope all my readers forgive me for the delay. :D I still love you all, don't forget~


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The following Monday arrived too quickly. The weekend had flowed by more gracefully than it ever had before. Once-ler had been quick to open up after whatever revelation had come over him while Norma had been out sitting out on the curb. She had been surprised at first when he started singing along with her, but rapidly melted into it and sang with even more passion than before. There was nothing she loved more than duets with Once-ler. He let himself wiggle his hips a bit to her offbeat melodies as he cleaned tables and served customers. She couldn't help but get up and dance as well. The little café had become their own personal dance floor. Her and Once-ler's stage.

Both afternoons had gone this way. As Norma entered her first period classroom, she couldn't help but wish herself back to yesterday. She hadn't realized how sad she had been to be singing alone until she realized how happy she was when they were singing together. It was beautiful. It was their art. Their purpose! And she planned to have a practice session with Once-ler come their second period spare that day. She was sure they could be quiet enough not to disturb any classes around them, but still have fun. If not, she didn't mind going outside. Early March had brought on an early Spring. She knew it was just a tease, but they might as well take advantage of the melting snow and the warm breeze.

"Hey," Norma heard from around her, summoning her mind back to the present time. She looked around to find Abigail, a long lost friend of sorts. Norma was sitting at her desk daydreaming, Abigail looming over her. She was looking down on her with an expression that read blank. Norma tried to smile, but it felt awkward.

"Hey, how's it going?" she responded, unsure of what else to say. It had been a long time since Abigail had really talked to her. Or had it been the other way around? Norma remembered back to the start of the year and how desperately she had yearned to find a friend in Abigail. It never occurred though. After Norma had found Once-ler, she never really looked to any of her other classmates. In most cases, her thoughts were always about him and what they would be doing that day. Abigail had faded from her mind and somewhere down the line they had even stopped greeting each other in the mornings. Norma wasn't sure if it had been _all_ her fault. She wasn't even sure if it had been her who started it.

"I went to the Cuddles' Café yesterday," Abigail stated in monotone. There was something accusing in her eyes that made Norma feel uncomfortable.

"Oh really? I was there yesterday too, in the afternoon. I never saw you, though," Norma replied, trying to stay casual sounding and not let her nervousness shine through.

"Oh I know. You were much too busy making a fool of yourself with... _him_," Abigail countered with a tone that almost sounded like disgust. Her words came out of her mouth as if she was trying to spit them out. Like they had a bad taste. Norma was a little shocked.

"With Once-ler? Well, we might have been singing or dancing but, I don't see why you need to say it like that-"

"Norma, I'm about to give you a piece of valuable advice, so listen carefully," the redhead interrupted, leaning in closer, "Hanging out with a loser _makes _you a loser. It's like a disease."

"W-what?" Norma exclaimed, completely caught off guard and utterly offended, "Once-ler is anything but a _loser_. What gives you the right to say such a horrible thing?"

A look of disappointment spread over Abigail's face, "We'll talk after class."

And with that, the bell rang and everyone was to be seated. Abigail walked away, without any more words, to her desk on the other side of the room. Norma watched her go, mouth agape. She didn't understand. Why would anyone say such a horrible thing about Once-ler? Why would anyone say something like that in general?

Class ticked by, but Norma wasn't able to concentrate on the lesson. Her eyes kept floating back to the redhead across the classroom. Abigail never looked to her. She seemed so normal, as if she hadn't caused the eruption of thoughts in Norma's mind. So sweet and innocent just like she always appeared. Norma realized then that there was always more than meets the eye.

When class ended, Norma made the effort to leave swiftly without confrontation. Norma had come to realize that she didn't want to know Abigail's reasoning. She didn't care. She just wanted out and away so she could meet up with Once-ler and enjoy their time together. Abigail's words weren't going to change anything.

"Norma, wait!" she heard from behind her. Abigail had been quick on her feet, closing in behind her in the hallway. She grabbed a hold of one of Norma's arms and tugged her to a halt, "I said wait."

"I don't think I want to talk to you..." Norma said distantly, eyes focused on the wall behind Abigail instead of her.

"Then just listen. I'm trying to help you," Abigail forked up a smile that was half-hearted. She squeezed Norma's arm almost consolingly, but it felt more controlling than anything. Norma tried to pull away.

"I know Once-ler. He was in a lot of my classes growing up. I know a lot more about him than you probably do," Abigail went on, "Have you not noticed? Have you not noticed how no one talks to you anymore since you started spending time with him? It's because everyone knows he's a _freak_."

A cracking sound erupted down the hallway. It echoed in the silence. Norma pulled her hand away from Abigail's face. They both stared at each in the same amount of shock. Norma hadn't even thought about it. Her hand had just jumped up and slapped the girl as soon as that horrible word came from her mouth.

Abigail looked like she was about to cry, "Look, it's up to you, but there's a party at my house the Friday before Spring Break. I'm inviting you. I want to be friends. But, Once-ler can't come. So you have the choice."

Norma watched as Abigail released her arm and walked away, nursing her puffy cheek. What kind of invitation was that? Norma was more offended than anything else. She remembered back to the times when she wanted to be Abigail's friend. She remembered when she was so desperate for any friend at all. But she had found one in Once-ler. Norma was sure of this. At least, she thought she was sure of this.

"Norma?" Once-ler spoke up from behind her. Norma spun around, terrified to know if he had seen the whole thing. He just looked down on her in confusion.

"Once-ler! I'm sorry, I was coming!" she exclaimed nervously. Once-ler usually met up with Norma somewhere halfway between their first period classrooms. When he hadn't found her, he had become concerned. As he had closed in on her class he saw her, back facing him, speaking to a redhead. A friend? He hadn't been close enough to hear any of the words, though. He had stopped at the other end of the hallway and waited. When the other girl started walking away and in his direction he watched her carefully. She made eye contact.

"Oh look who it is," she had chuckled quietly as she passed him by, elbowing him roughly in the side by as a gesture. He had cringed a bit to the pain, turning to see her turn a corner and disappear.

"No worries…" Once-ler replied to Norma slowly, unable to grasp an understanding of the situation. Had he known that other girl? He had had many classmates in the past, but never a friend. Not even an enemy. Just acquaintances with blurry faces.

Norma felt uneasy. She didn't want Once-ler to know anything about the things Abigail had said. They had just been unkind and unnecessary. Norma wished she hadn't heard them herself. She was starting to feel disappointed that she had thought so highly of her at one time. It had all been an illusion. Abigail was just your typical popular girl.

"Let's go outside and make music," Norma cheered, trying to bring out the enthusiasm again. Once-ler smiled, but she could see the doubt. Had he or had he not heard? She was too afraid to ask. Instead, she pulled him into an embrace. A sincere and promising embrace that said more than words ever could. His arms shook in confusion as they slowly wrapped themselves around her. Soon enough he detected the message and held her tightly. _Love has many definitions._

They spent the second period and lunch break eating marshmallows, singing, and taking turns with the guitar. They were sitting on the stone sign in front of the school for everyone to see. The ground ha been wet from the melting snow and they wanted to keep their tushes dry after all.

The two of them never wrote anything down. Every time they wanted to go back and try something they had made up once before it came out totally different. They didn't really realize it though. It was all out of the fun. They wrote songs in their minds and did covers of all their favourites. It passed by too quickly just like all the other times she spent with Once-ler. Abigail had been quickly forgotten as soon as he started strumming magic with his guitar.

The rest of school that day went by musically. Nothing else was on her mind as she walked the halls and sat at her desks. Not her schoolwork. Not Abigail. Not at first. As the end of last period ticked closer, her enthusiasm started to dwindle. The sing-along melodies in her head started slowing down. It was when she looked around the classroom and realized there was no one there that ever even looked at her. No one ever smiled at her. No one ever said hello. Away from Once-ler she was alone. He was her social lifeline.

_It's like a disease_, so Abigail had told. Norma felt her skin crawl as she glanced around the lifeless classroom. All her peers had their eyes to their desk, scratching away quietly with their pencils and pens. They were all waiting. A few of them looked over to witness the final ticks before the bell. With that, they all rose to their feet and an eruption of chatter and chairs filled the room. None of it for was her. She remained seated, looking around for a pair of eyes. No one held her stare. No one said goodbye to her. When had this happened?

_It's always been this way_, Norma told herself. She never had friends. She always tried but never had the social skills to make any. But even if she had always been alone on profound terms, she was denying her memory of the shallow interactions she once had. The greetings that lacked any feeling. The talks of the weather. The _how-are-yous _and _how-was-your-days_. It had all been there once, but Norma tried to pretend otherwise. She didn't want to feel like something was missing, even if it was.

"What's wrong Norma? You've been off since school ended," Once-ler chirped. The two of them were perched on their hill, enjoying the dim afternoon. The sun was already making its way to the horizon and bringing the chill back into the air. The ground was wet, so it turned out to be inevitable. Their tushes got wet after all, as they sat across from each other in the grassy and snowy patches. Norma hadn't said much since they met up after classes. Once-ler had been doing all the talking.

"Oh, nothing. Just feeling a little under the weather," Norma lied. In some ways it wasn't a lie, though. Abigail had sickened her. She had planted a little parasite inside Norma's mind. It was eating away at a lot of her happiness. It was making her realize just how little she really had to be happy about.

"Oh... anything I can do?" Once-ler offered awkwardly. He was far worse on the spectrum of lacking social skills. He knew it, though. He would never deny it. He lived his entire life with only himself to talk to. As he closed in on 18, he was still the only one he knew how to communicate with. He watched Norma carefully for a reaction. She didn't look sick. She looked disturbed.

"No, probably not," Norma replied, looking up and away to the sky. The clouds were looking a little upset. Dark and puffy, she could tell they were holding onto their snow. It was relatable in a way. Norma suppressed the blizzard inside of herself.

"Does it have something to do with that girl?" Once-ler questioned, wide-eyed.

Norma looked back down to her friend, uncomfortably, "What girl?"

"The redhead you were talking to after your first class," he explained.

"I don't want to talk about it," Norma quickly blurted out, looking away. The last thing she wanted to do was tell him about what she had said about him. He didn't deserve to feel awkward or hurt by it. She also didn't want to release to him her sudden swirling doubt. Not in him, but in herself.

Once-ler continued to watch Norma, a catalogue of emotions playing on her face. One thought to the next changed her expression. The furrow in her eyebrows. The depth of her frown. She was staring off into her memories of whatever had happened that she wasn't sharing. Once-ler knew there was more to this, but he didn't press.

"Okay."

"Okay," Norma echoed in a whisper.

**"""""**

"The rest of the day sort of went that way. I was just completely trapped in my own head," Grammy Norma explained to the children across the table from her. Ted and Audrey were eating bologna sandwiches while she sipped her coffee. They were into their third day.

"I don't understand," Ted said, "If you were sure that the Once-ler was your best friend, then why would you have any doubt?"

"Well, feelings are complicated Teddy. I didn't doubt the Once-ler. I just started to realize how isolated from the rest of the world I had become."

"I know how that is…" Audrey spoke slowly, a sad smile on her lips. She didn't have many friends in school. She was the one who was often called a _freak_, actually. At least back before the trees started sprouting. Her interest in trees and painting had outcast her from the rest of her peers at school. Many laughed at her for having impossible dreams. Some of them didn't even believe her, never having heard about_ real_ trees. But, now that the trees were coming back, they just didn't talk to her at all. She was more like the Once-ler than anything. And Ted was her Norma.

Ted was staring wide-eyed at Audrey. He was still walking the halls of his middle school and didn't know of anything of the on goings at Audrey's high school. But she was so intelligent and beautiful that he assumed she was popular and loved by all. But as she related with his grandmother and wore sad eyes, he realized there was a lot he still didn't know. She looked over to him and her smile became a little happier.

"You know, now that I think about it…" Grammy trailed off, squinting carefully at Audrey, "Abigail looked a lot like you did. I wonder if she was a relative-"

"No way! Audrey is too nice and amazing and perfect to be related to anyone who would say things as terrible as that!" Ted quickly spurted. Grammy smiled, Audrey gasped, and Ted blushed. A silence wheeled around the table as eyes found their focal point.

"Ted, you're just too sweet," Audrey giggled, giving him a tight squeeze. Ted's blushed deepened when he felt her arms wrap around him. But it was warm and soft. It felt like right where he belonged.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Chapter 18 finally! I've gotten so slow! I'm sorry. :c


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Early Tuesday morning, Norma munched slowly on her breakfast cereal. She ate but she did not taste. She felt her senses drained as she sat lifelessly, hunched over the bowl with her chin cradled in one of her palms. She hadn't slept much. She couldn't. Disturbing thoughts and ideas swirled around in the darkness of her eyelids whenever she tried to close her eyes. By four in the morning she had given up and planted herself at the kitchen table. She was alone in the silence. The family cat mewed by her feet until admitting defeat shortly after being ignored. Norma wanted to be as alone as she felt.

"Norma, sweetie? Is that you?" a voice broke through the dark, the kitchen light flicking aglow. Norma looked up to find her mother, concern laced into her furrowed brow. She was wrapped up tightly in her fluffy pink housecoat, surprised to find her daughter there. Norma didn't say a word.

"Normie... if anything is wrong, you can talk to me you know," her mother said, her voice smooth and soothing. She made her way from the doorframe to the seat across the table from Norma. She seated herself and waited. Norma still did not speak, though. She was more ashamed than anything else about the way she was feeling. She didn't want anyone to hear her thoughts.

"I've probably been there at least once," her mother added. Making it to your late forties granted tons of life experience. She looked over her daughter's somber expression and frowned. She had definitely worn that face more than _once_.

"Have you ever realized out of the blue that you have no friends?" Norma snapped. She couldn't imagine her mom understanding. She couldn't imagine _anyone_ understanding.

Her mother stared, a little dumbfounded, "You have friends. What about Once-ler? You spend almost every free moment of the day with him."

"I meant aside from him..." Norma mumbled in response, eyes drifting away. She went back to eating her cereal.

Her mother fell into the quiet alongside her daughter. She was confused. Norma normally had nothing but kind words and love for Once-ler. She knew that she cared for him more than anything. She knew it better than Norma did. Something was wrong.

"Did something happen with Once-ler?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Her mother sighed, feeling the defeat loom over her. A dark aura seemed to hover around her daughter, and it was slowly making its way around her, too. It would be easy to get up and go back to bed. It would be easy to just curl up next to her husband and fall back to sleep for a few more hours. But she was a better mother than that. At least she believed so.

"You don't have to talk about it if you really don't want to," she stated warmly, trying to bring a positive feeling back into the air, "Did you want to go out anywhere? I know it's early, but maybe we could just go for a car ride or something. Get your mind away from things."

Norma looked up again at her mother, considering her offer. It was early and there really wouldn't be any place to go. But suddenly she liked the idea of sitting in the car watching the city fly by. Maybe rolling down the window and just letting the wind take her. She nodded slowly, accepting the invitation.

"Alright then! I'm going to get ready. Maybe you should get ready for school just in case we're out too long. That way I can just drop you off? Okay. Off I go!" Norma's mother chirped, leaving the kitchen. The fake cheeriness made Norma cringe. She understood why her mom was pretending to be so lively suddenly, but it made her uncomfortable. She wasn't sure what she would prefer though. Pretending or pressing.

Within the hour they were leaving the house behind for the nighttime world. It was still dark and quiet, a calming owl hooting somewhere nearby. Norma crawled into the passenger seat. It felt cool on her tush. The air was a bit chilly. She sat on her hands.

"This is nice," her mother stated when she was seated in the car and buckled in. Norma stayed quiet as her mother started the engine and placed the car into reverse. They backed out of the driveway and drove off, away from the house. As her home grew further and further away, she told herself she was leaving all her negative feelings there. She wasn't convinced, though. When they passed by her school it all just resurfaced.

"You know, when I was in my twenties and needed to think, I would go out for drives. Sometimes I'd wind up places I'd never been before and have to call your father to help me home. It was silly, but it helped me gather my feelings at times. Made me feel better, you know?" Norma's mother spoke softly, nostalgia coming through in her tone. Norma could see her flashing back. Smiling. Remembering her youth. Her mother often saw a lot of herself in Norma. It was like watching clips of her past, cycling through all the same motions. In many cases, Norma resented her mother for nothing but this. She was her own person who made her own decisions. She wasn't following her mother's footsteps. She was treading blind.

"I'd like to believe that with all the pieces of advice I've given you all throughout your life that you at least have some direction," her mother seemed to reply to her daughter's thoughts, "I know sometimes you can feel so lost. Especially when boys become involved. Even if they are just friends."

"It's not Once-ler fault!" Norma quickly defended, "It's all Abigail's fault..."

"Abigail? The name sounds familiar-"

"She's a classmate. I've known her since last year. We did homework together and stuff like that. I kind of thought we were friends until I realized we weren't. But I'm glad anyway. She's horrible," Norma explained and exploded, "She seemed to be so nice. She's so pretty too. She seemed perfect. But she's horrible. How can someone be so horrible?"

Norma felt hot tears start to slide down her face. She quickly dried them away in denial. She was angry, not sad. Her mother looked over when they came to a red light. She saw the sadness.

"Sometimes people do horrible things," her mother said slowly, thinking carefully about her words, "Not necessarily because they're horrible people. Just... because they were set in the wrong direction."

"She made me realize something though. That at school, I'm all alone. Not a single person talks to me. No one even looks at me! I don't remember it being this way..." Norma trailed off as a lump knotted up her throat.

"Except for Once-ler?"

"Except for Once-ler..." she whispered, no longer denying the tears. Her mother wanted to embrace her then, but she couldn't. Her hands trembled on the steering wheel as she felt herself wanting to cry for her daughter. But it was her role to stay strong. It was her job to be brave for her child. To be the one to make reasoning out of everything that hurts.

"I'm sure Once-ler has his flaws like everyone else, but he seems to make you happy. You've never had someone that makes you as happy as he does," she explained to her daughter, "I think you're looking too hard at what you don't have instead of what you do have."

Norma thought about this, but then said, "Abigail called Once-ler a freak."

This caught her mother off guard for a moment but she recollected herself, "So? Her opinion matters so little in this situation. He's your friend and you love him right? _You_ don't think he's a freak, do you?"

"No..." Norma mumbled, "But it's not just her. The reason why no one talks to me is because I'm Once-ler's friend. I don't even understand it. He's so nice and fun to be around. There's nothing wrong with him. He's not like every other boy, though. Sure, I think he's weird sometimes, but I'm his best friend and I'm allowed to say that."

"See? You act like you're uncertain, but I'm pretty sure you know exactly where your heart lies," her mother said with a smile. Norma stared without comprehension.

"You know Once-ler probably better than anyone at this point. Do you know why? Because you gave him a chance even despite any of his quirks. A lot of people are afraid of_ different_. You probably saw a bit of yourself in him, though. They say misery likes company, but you two turned your loneliness into a strong and beautiful friendship," her mother spoke. The words pounded into Norma. They were truer than anything right now.

"You're right, mom," Norma whispered, "You're so right. I was ignoring just how important Once-ler is to me because I was afraid of being alone. But I'm not alone, because I have him."

"And don't forget, you'll always have me. Always."

"Thank you, mom."

The rest of the morning was spent discussing the events that had taken place the day before in a more carefree light. Norma didn't feel the heavy cloud weighing down on her anymore. Abigail was nothing but a jerk and she shouldn't have let her get to her at all. She shouldn't have been so cold to Once-ler either. She felt guilt for that. Once-ler didn't deserve to be doubted. He did nothing but be there for her, even if he was a little selfish sometimes. She was too, though. They were two people, together even despite the other one's flaws. No one was perfect. Especially not the ones that seem perfect most of all.

She was dropped off at school, at the crosswalk where she saw Once-ler waiting. Her mother waved to him with a smile and he awkwardly waved back. Norma hopped out of the vehicle and waved her mother off so she could jump into Once-ler's arms. That was exactly what happened.

"Woah!" Once-ler called out, trying to regain his balance when he nearly fell backwards, "I don't think you've ever glomped me that hard before."

"I'm making up for yesterday," Norma chirped, squeezing harder around her best friend's midsection. He made a few odd gasps for air, but then held her back, patting the top of her head consolingly. He wasn't quite sure what she meant, but he'd take it. The day before she had left him feeling sort of cold. He had gone home feeling lonely. He hadn't felt lonely in a while. He had tried calling her, but no one picked up. He could admit that he had fears she was reconsidering their friendship.

"Well, we have to get to class!" Norma exclaimed, prying herself away from Once-ler's embrace. It was difficult to do. He was holding onto her firmly. She then placed her hand in his and started their way towards the main doors of her high school. This was their last year. After June they would never have to come back here. Who cares what they thought? College would be more mature than this. And even if it's not? It was Once-ler and her against the world.

"Still don't want to tell me what happened yesterday?" Once-ler suddenly brought up as they walked through the doors. It had been bothering him. He was worried about what seed the redhead may have sowed.

"Nothing happened," Norma said smiling, "Nothing worth talking about."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Ahh, I'm sorry for the delay! Life, you know? And this chapter is kind of really short. :c Aww, I'm the worst~ But thank you to all my readers! You guys are so great~ I don't feel worthy. c:


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Norma walked into her first period classroom on Friday morning. She felt unease in the pit of her belly. She had managed to dodge Abigail all week by slipping in and out of the classroom with the bell. But she had a feeling today was going to be different. It was the morning of the party. _The_ party. It had been the talk of the school all week. Everyone seemed to be going, and if they weren't they had a damn good excuse as to why not. But no one asked if Norma was going. No one cared.

Abigail's glares from across the classroom each day had given Norma the implication that she wanted to speak with her. Norma didn't want to, though. She didn't need to, either. She already knew exactly what Abigail would say. But perhaps it was finally time for Norma to speak her mind.

"Are you coming or not? I'm getting tired of you avoiding me," Abigail finally said abruptly from behind her. Norma turned around to face her classmate, a shake weakening her knees. She opened up her mouth to speak, but the school bell interrupted her. With unsaid words, she took the opportunity to slip away and be seated. Abigail stared, a look of frustration creasing into her forehead.

Why not just tell her? Norma chewed on her pencil anxiously. Why not? There was a fear crawling under her skin. She was scared. Even if it had genuinely dawned on her that she didn't care about what Abigail felt of her or Once-ler, she was still afraid to admit it to her face. It felt as though she'd be signing a contract. Like openly accepting that nobody would ever talk to her again. This party was the end all be all. She was either Once-ler's friend or everyone else's. For some reason, she couldn't be both.

"I don't need to be," Norma whispered to herself. She wasn't going to fall prey to this again. Norma was strong. She had to be. If she was meant to be alone, then she'd be alone. And no matter how alone she got, she would never truly be alone with Once-ler by her side. No matter how many times he may disappear off the face of the Earth, locked away in his bedroom, making thneeds and forgetting her. That had only happened a few times though. He always made it up to her either way. Somehow.

Class seemed to drag on. Norma wanted nothing more than to be done with Abigail's burning eyes. They left holes in her skin, and she could feel them linger even after Abigail looked away. Why was she suddenly so determined? Could there be more behind this than Norma really understood? The thought was baffling, and she couldn't help but waste time thinking on it.

The lesson didn't sink further than the first layer of skin. Norma didn't know what she learned nor if she even had homework. All she knew was that she needed to skitter away as quickly as her legs could carry her. She didn't want to confront Abigail. She didn't want to feel anything but joy. The simple bliss that she knew would overcome her as soon as she found Once-ler in the hallway. She yearned for the feeling of the world just slipping away, right between her fingertips. But she wouldn't even try to grasp it. She'd let it fall. Yes, that's all she wanted right now. To be whisked away into the world of Once-ler. His songs and his thneeds. All the things that no one else could see. The things that made him beautiful. So other people thought he was a freak? Well, more for her.

The class bell chimed like a sigh of relief. Norma bolted. She was up and running as if she had been waiting for the gunshot to begin the race. She heard the rest of the class shuffle around her. Good. The more people between her and Abigail the better. It was a thankful thing that they sat on opposite ends of the classroom.

"Norma, wait! You're going to talk to me right _now_!" Abigail shouted out in the background. Norma was to ignore it. Part of her, anyway. Mixed feelings twitched alive in the soles of her feet. She felt herself slow down and stumble into a trot. Her feet spun her around to face the redhead. They were much braver than her mind. Norma grimaced in response to her ex-friend's stare.

"What?" Norma tried to sound impatient. She wanted to leave the impression that she had better things to do than listen to Abigail talk. In all honesty, she did. But she didn't know how to be cold enough to sound like she meant it.

Abigail looked a little flustered, "Norma, I gave you such a great opportunity. Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Opportunity," Norma repeated flatly, eyelids slowly sinking into a lazy glare.

"You know, you're a nice girl. You're pretty. Smart. You have so much potential and you just toss it out. I'm trying to help you here. But you really don't see it, do you?" Abigail had sincerity in her voice that made Norma sick. She felt her hand tremble, dying for the gratification of meeting with the redhead's face once again.

"I need an answer, Norma. Are you going to be there tonight or not?"

"No, I'm not. I don't have any interest at all," Norma answered quickly, and honestly.

"Truly?" desperation seemed to come over Abigail. Her eyes widened with feelings Norma couldn't define with one word alone.

She opened her mouth to answer but Abigail went on, "You're just going to throw your life away? Can't you see it around you? You've isolated yourself. How can you live like that? I'm reaching out to you as a friend. Maybe we never really hung out, but I still liked you. But now, I can barely see you. You're fading away. I'm speaking with a perspective from the outside. I look in your window and all I see is _smoke_."

"What does the even mean…?" Norma muttered quietly, trying to hold eye contact with Abigail. She looked like she could almost cry and Norma didn't understand why. How could there be so much depth to something just so shallow? How could Abigail supposedly care so much about Norma's wellbeing? Since when had they ever really been close enough for that to happen? It seemed every time there was a new development it only erupted more questions in her mind. Answers always seemed far and few, too.

"Please, Norma?" Abigail pleaded, putting out a hand to her friend. It was metaphorical. Take her hand and be pulled out of the smoke or run and hide in the deepest corners with Once-ler for the rest of her days. Norma felt her hand leap up, closing in on Abigail's hand. She wasn't sure what was going to come out of her mouth when her palm met the other girl's.

"Thank you, Abigail-"

"Oh Norma! You won't regret this!" Abigail quickly interrupted, lighting up bright with happiness.

"Thank you, but no thank you. Seriously? This is high school. I'm going on to do bigger and better things than this place. One day, you're going to be sitting in the audience as Once-ler and I blow your mind with an amazing song that you could only dream of performing. We're going to be amazing, and you'll love us and never be able to comfortably admit it. And you know what? I will _proudly_ announce in every interview that I was a _freak_ in high school with no friends but Once-ler, but look at where it got me?" Norma breathed, smiling arrogantly, "So enjoy your party. Enjoy your life and whatever it holds for you. I'm going to go see Once-ler now. I'm pretty sure we're going to rock the socks off a quiet little hallway this period. You're probably late for your second period class…"

Abigail wore and expression of shock. She tore her hand away from Norma's and crossed her arms over her chest. She was at a loss for words. Norma could tell by the way the girl's jaw shook, forming letters but making no sound.

"See you."

"Good luck," Abigail hissed, walking away stiffly. Norma stayed in place. A few people had stopped to watch the confrontation in awe and shock. After Abigail took her leave everyone else started wandering away as well. They threw Norma some awkward looks as they passed, but didn't grace her with a word. She stood proud, a smirk spread over her lips. She was stronger than she thought. Smarter than she had believed. She felt empowered and ready to do just about anything. So she ran.

"Norma!" Once-ler cheered when she reached the quiet hallway she had previously mentioned to Abigail. He was already seated and comfortable, waiting patiently for his friend. He seemed happier than usual to see her. And maybe even a little bit relieved.

"Once-ler!" Norma cried back in the same tone to tease. She plopped herself down next to him and threw her arms around him. He was quick to accept her embrace.

"I was started to get a little worried that you weren't going to come today…" Once-ler whispered shamefully, looking away with a pout.

Norma squeezed tighter, "When have I ever not come?"

"Well, I mean, you're usually here right away. Today you're almost fifteen minutes late…"

"I just had to do something really quick in class, is all," Norma half lied. She didn't want to trouble Once-ler with any of the drama Abigail had created. Norma still felt guilt deep inside her stomach that she had ever doubted their relationship. She didn't want Once-ler to find out. She didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"You don't have to lie to me," Once-ler spoke, feeling leaving his voice. Norma felt tingles run down all her limbs when her heart stopped. She pulled away and stared at Once-ler. He looked back at her with a straight face. What did he know?

"I'm not lying-"

"I actually go to the same school as you, you know," Once-ler interrupted coolly, "So I hear all the gossip and whispers too."

"I really didn't find you to be the kind of person who would pay attention to that sort of thing," Norma admitted.

Once-ler blushed and stammered, "W-well when I heard your name I couldn't help but listen."

"My name…?" Norma felt the tingles again.

"I know about the party," Once-ler stated, "And I know a lot of people are curious if you're going. Also, I happen to know that when they say that the _freak_ can't come, they mean me."

"Oh Once-ler, no!" Norma cried, feeling horrible, "Don't listen to those awful things. You're not a freak. You're… you're _perfect_!"

Once-ler stared with his common awkward expression. Norma mirrored it. They both lit up a bright shade of red and looked away from each other in unison. Norma didn't take it back though. She didn't try to cover up her tracks or change any definition. She meant what she sputtered, as weird as it may have been.

"I think you're perfect too," Once-ler whispered with his eyes still away and somewhere else. Norma turned back to look at her friend. His arms were crossed and he wore a look of stubbornness and upset. Almost like a child who hadn't gotten his way. Norma felt her facial muscles loosen up into a small smile.

"What did you have in mind to do today?" Norma changed the topic to lighten the mood. Once-ler looked back to her, his eyes lighting up as if he had been waiting for her to ask. He turned away again to his backpack, located on the tile next to his tush. He began going through it, pulling out many of his trademark items. When he was done several sets of knitting needles and skeins of yarn sat on the floor before her.

"You're going to knit?" Norma guessed, rolling her eyes.

Once-ler smiled slyly, "Not exactly, my friend! Today is the day I finally successfully teach you how to knit!"

Norma sighed. He had already tried enough times before to deem her _unteachable_. Literally he had used that word. She had given up more or less herself. She wanted to be helpful and useless in his thneed business, but she didn't feel she could be. The best she could provide was advice and opinions on his latest models. She also enjoyed modeling them for him time to time.

"Nope, don't give me any of that!" Once-ler chirped before Norma said anything at all, "You're going to learn to knit a thneed and by the end of today's lesson you will be nearly as pro as me."

"You're only going to be disappointed," Norma replied with a frown.

"I believe in you, though," Once-ler smiled, placing a pair of knitting needles in her hands gently. Norma let her fingers wrap around the cool plastic. She gazed at them. They were as good to her as chopsticks. Just foreign tools that she was pretty good at poking people with. She looked up at Once-ler still wearing her frown. What reason did he have to believe in her?

"Just put as much passion into it as you did the guitar. Think about it. You wanted to learn to make music as well as I could, so you practiced and tried so hard. Now you're really good! I'm sure you'll be better than me soon since you actually know what you're playing! Just, apply that with these needles. For me? It would mean so much!"

Norma thought about this. She thought about her obsession with his guitar. How it had become almost a permanent resident at her house. Her family questioned her whenever she _didn't_ come home with it nowadays. She had put all her energy into making something that even sounded just okay come out of its strings. Why couldn't she just apply that here? Maybe she could make something fluffy and beautiful come out of these plastic sticks.

"Okay," she answered briefly, looking at the knitting needles uneasily. Once-ler never looked happier.

That was how they spent their time. Their time together seemed to come to an end much too quickly. Norma was saying goodbye before she even mastered a simple knit stitch. Let alone those terribly taunting purl stitches. She couldn't help but stare at her hands in disappointment as she wandered to her third period class. How could they have so little grace?

The two of them met again after school. Nothing else was important right then.

"We have all evening for you to teach me how to make a thneed," Norma insisted as they exited the school by the main doors. She heard murmurs and excited voices about Abigail's party from all around her. Once-ler heard it too.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you'd rather do?" Once-ler asked with unease.

"Nope, nothing!" Norma answered immediately with a singsong voice, "There is nothing in this whole wide world that I would rather do than knit beautiful and amazing thneeds with you!"

Once-ler smiled and lead his friend to their little hill where the knitted all evening in the melting snow.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** It's been almost a month since I updated? What, where did all the time go? I'm sorry my wonderful and amazing readers! How could I be so cruel? I've just been so busy that I never seemed to find time to write. Finally I have. :c Finally. I love you. Please, find it in your hearts to forgive my loser self. Thank you for reading, even after so long!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

It was Spring break in Floraville. No school for the week. Everywhere that Norma looked, students seemed to litter the streets. There were no peaceful places. No quiet places. Even the hill at the park across the way seemed to always have some group of people on it. Norma looked up to them from the grassy dirt with a longing stare. They didn't see her. They had no reason to even look. Norma turned to Once-ler and frowned. He forced up a smile in return. It didn't look nearly as comforting as he had been trying for.

"Well, it's not like the hill actually belonged to us," Once-ler said, holding his plastic grin. He was disappointed as well, though. He envisioned the week on top of their hill, knitting thneeds into the night. It was a simple dream, but the one that filled him with the most joy.

Norma, on the other hand, had music on the mind. With Once-ler's guitar strapped to her back, she had imagined them singing and strumming home-made melodies until dusk. Their hill had been the setting, but she started to look around for another location. If she couldn't have their hill, she would have to make due. But as she glanced around the park, she started to realize there weren't many other options. Children were playing everywhere she could see, loud and sporadic. They screamed and galloped around, too loud for Norma to hear her own thoughts. She looked at Once-ler again, eyes declaring defeat.

The disappointment on Norma's face brought about a challenge in Once-ler's eyes. He now wanted nothing more than to please her. He stared around but quickly realized the same thing she had. He expanded his view to an internal overhead map of the town. There were probably plenty of places that they could go. It was only the case of finding them! But where does one start looking?

"We could go to my house," Once-ler suggested, slowly and uncomfortably. Norma's expression changed slightly in unease. She had only been to Once-ler's house twice in their time together, and both times hadn't gone over too well. It wasn't the house, though, that was the problem. It was the woman who resided there. Once-ler's mother.

"Uhm, Once-ler... I was under the impression that your mom wasn't too fond of... guests..." Norma responded just as slow, afraid to offend her friend. Once-ler pinched his lips together. He thought about her words, keeping Norma on edge.

"Well, my whole family is gone for Spring break. Holidays, or something," he finally replied with a smile. The undertone left a sharp ache.

"They didn't take you along? How cruel!"

"N-no! I stayed by choice!" Once-ler was quick to correct the misinterpretation.

Norma squinted, "Why?"

Once-ler became uncomfortable again. He didn't want to tell Norma that they did, in fact, leave him behind. He had woke up that morning to them leaving. Take care of the daily chores, his mother had requested. We'll be back in a week, she had added. As much as it had taken him by surprise, it also hadn't. This wasn't new. Once-ler was used to being left behind. He had even grown to like the time alone. When he had been younger, the big empty house had frightened him. Now, it just meant he could knit anywhere he wanted and play his music as loud as he could. It also meant he could have Norma over and they could do whatever they wanted comfortably.

"Once-ler?"

"Y-you can just say no, you know! I'm just making a suggestion!" Once-ler stuttered, loud and nervously, looking away from Norma's gaze. A smile started to spread onto her face. Mission accomplished.

"You stayed behind to spend the week with me, didn't you?" Norma accused, moving to the other side of him and back into his view. Once-ler looked down at her, biting down on his lip. His face heated up quickly and he looked away again.

She started to giggle, "You're lucky you stayed, or I would have been pretty upset!"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yep, really upset. Having to spend the whole week alone? I don't think so."

Once-ler chuckled as he started to lead the way. It was a better way of looking at it, he supposed. Maybe he really wasn't left behind after all. Maybe he did just stay behind for Norma. He wasn't going to admit it either way, though.

Nearly an hour had passed before they had reached Once-ler's country home. Norma couldn't help but gawk as she always did. It was huge, beautiful, and in the middle of nowhere. Where would one even call this place? Did it even have an address? She looked around the grassy nothingness. Dead plants lay limp in the gardens. They added a bittersweetness to the beauty that she couldn't quite explain. Winter had killed them. Spring was now about, trying to ressurect them. New beginnings were everywhere.

"Norma? Are you coming inside or are you just going to stand there?" Once-ler broke her trance. She looked up, a little dazed. She had gone off into a daydream of some sort. She wasn't even sure what it had been about anymore. She only nodded, following after Once-ler who was standing in the doorway of his home.

Inside, Norma was caught staring around again. It looked just like she remembered from her previous visits. It appeared even bigger on the inside. But, that feeling in the air wasn't there. That feeling that always ran up her spine and made her want nothing more than to leave. Instead, she felt comfortable. Curious.

"Wow, you must love living in such a big house," she stated in awe as she slipped off her flats and wandered away from the foyer to look around. Once-ler followed quietly.

"Imagine playing hide-and-seek in this place! I bet you and your brothers did a lot as kids!"

Once-ler smiled a weak but honest smile, "I've spent most of my time in my room."

Norma turned to look back at Once-ler. It dawned on her again, as it did every once in a while, that there was still so much she didn't know about her friend. She called him her best friend, but she didn't even know about the things he did when they weren't together. Knit? Was that it? And what about his family? What was his home life truly like? He was looking back at her questioning eyes with an answer. An answer she couldn't read, but tried to. His sad, blue irises pierced into her deep and fiery. _Ask me_, they seemed to scream. She saw it flicker wildly and she felt her words slide along her tongue. Before she could open her mouth, it was gone.

"Once-ler-"

"Did you want some tea or anything? I can make you some. Ever had chai?"

"That... would be lovely," Norma answered softly. She felt the regret come over her instantly as he smiled and turned away. She felt the questions linger, tingling in her throat. He headed for the kitchen and she followed along, one with their quiet.

Fifteen minutes found them seated next to each other in the den, a newly lit fire coming into existance in the fireplace across the room from them. Norma's tea was untouched on the coffee table, cooling down. Once-ler sipped his slowly, watching the embers sputter and come to life. Norma watched him instead. There was a strange awkwardness in the air. She felt uncomfortable. She felt nervous to speak. That burning sensation from his eyes had left spots on her skin. She felt seared.

"If you wait too long, it'll be cold," Once-ler said, meeting Norma's stare. She blushed, realizing she was caught, and looked away quickly to her tea. She didn't put as much milk in hers as he had with his. It was still steaming.

"Don't worry, I'll drink it," Norma reassured.

"You better. I'd hate to see it go to waste," he replied with a silly grin. Norma smiled, lifting the mug and bringing it to her lips. Hot and spiced. It filled her senses. She let it bring her confidence.

"Can I ask you some questions?" Norma asked, looking at him sternly. She wasn't planning on taking no for an answer.

"That depends on the questions," he answered, mimicking her tone and expression.

Norma puffed up her cheeks while thinking. She shuffled through her internal filing cabinet, collecting all the things she knew about Once-ler and all the blank spaces that needed to be filled in. He watched her quietly while continuing to empty his mug and warm his belly. They were both moving slowly, like clockwork ticking away the seconds.

"Tell me about your family," Norma started. She knew it was vague, but maybe vague enough to ease him into the conversation.

"I've already told you about my family," Once-ler answered quickly and coolly, like a sudden gust of cold wind. His eyebrows twitched as he tried to hold a straight face.

"Well, sort of..."

"What else do you need to know?" Once-ler snapped fiercely, almost shouting. His face cracked into anger now, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth arched into a frown. Norma was shocked to receive such a reaction and instantly retreated back to her tea, eyes to the fireplace. She wanted anything but to make him upset with her. His eyes were still on her, but they softened. His fingers began to tremble around his warm mug. He followed suit and gave his attention to the fire. They stared in silence, steeping in the thick air.

Norma's mind began to wander. Why was he so secretive? All the things she had imagined about his mother… could they really be true? It was hard to believe that Once-ler would actually let himself be abused or mistreated. Who would let themselves go through that? She believed that she wouldn't, if she were in the shoes. But it was truly hard to say what you would do in a different scenario until it happened. She brought her eyes back to him and he was staring into the fire as before. It was as if she was granted a do over. She felt she needed to take it.

"Once-ler-"

"I've already told you," Once-ler interrupted uncomfortably, closing his eyes, "My mom and dad were just a fling, I guess. He was long gone before I was born. My brothers were born two years later and I have no recollection of a man ever being around, so he was probably just a fling too. I was young, though, so he may have been around in the beginning. I don't remember. So I grew up in charge of my brothers. They've always been bullies and mom always lets them get away with everything. Not me though. Because I'm the oldest. She expects the most from me because she knows I'm the oldest and smartest. She has big dreams for me..."

Norma frowned, "I think she just has big dreams for herself."

"I'm not done," Once-ler grumbled, reopening his eyelids and glaring at her sideways. Norma froze up, wide-eyed. When she was quiet, he continued.

"My mother's brother, Uncle Ubb, had financial troubles and we've been housing him and his wife for almost ten years now. They were always around anyway, so nothing really changed when they officially moved in. His wife, Aunt Griselda, is… something. She hates animals. I'm surprised she survives living on a farm. I'm pretty sure she hates me too, but my mom insists she is just looking out for me. She pushed me down the stairs once. Kind of. She says it was an accident, so maybe it was. I broke my leg and no one even visited me in the hospital. That's the kind of family I have. They are all the kind of people who only ever notice me when I'm making a mistake. When I got back from the hospital a week later, my room had become storage somehow. I could either move everything out of my room with a cast or sleep among the boxes. I didn't really have much choice."

Once-ler speech had slowly become faster and faster. He had to stop to take a breath to refill his lungs. Before he continued he made eye contact with Norma. She looked horrified. She had placed her tea back atop the coffee table and stared doe-eyed with a hand covering her gasping lips. He could see her tear ducts moisten and he felt bad. He wasn't looking for tears and pity. She had asked, right?

"As well, they all take every chance they have to sabotage me and laugh at me. I'm like a timeless gag in this house. If they can get a hold of my knitting, they will destroy it or tangle it in the ceiling fan so they can all laugh at it together. Seriously, it's like they _don't wear sweaters_. What could possibly be so wrong with knitting that it's hilarious beyond belief? Or my music. My brothers call me _queer _at least once a day. It's frustrating and difficult, so that's why I just stay in my room. It's safe there, for the most part. I can lock it and do whatever I want as long as I'm not too loud. If I didn't need to eat, I'd probably _never_ come down."

"Oh, Once-ler…" Norma whispered, heartbroken. As he delved deeper and deeper, his voice quickened and became angrier and angrier. Even when he stopped, she could tell there was still so much more he wanted to say. He lived his whole life in this house, a victim to ungrateful people, and he had never had anyone to turn to. This was probably the first time he had ever spoke out and against his family. He was breathing hard and heavy, unable to look Norma in the eye. She wanted to say something. Anything. What could she possibly say that would make him feel better?

"And yes, they did leave me behind. They always do. I'm about as worthless as the cows on this farm. They don't give milk! If it wasn't for me, they'd be dead because no one would feed them because they don't give milk! I'm surprised I haven't been starved…"

"Your anything but worthless, Once-ler!" Norma quickly intervened, "There is something wrong with these people if they really treat you this way. It's not you, it's them. You have to say something to someone… maybe your counsellor at school. You can get away from it, you know. If you just speak out."

Once-ler whispered softly, "No."

Norma stared in shock. No? That was the best idea she could have come up with!

"It's just… their way of trying to motivate me…" Once-ler whispered into his empty mug. He made himself believe this more than anything. It was how he survived.

"Th-that's insane! That's no way to motivate someone!" Norma exasperated. She was disturbed beyond belief that Once-ler could flop so easily between being so angry to being so weak. It was upsetting. It was as if he were brainwashed.

"Just, one day I am going to be successful and prove them all wrong. That's all! I just have to work hard and wait until then!" Once-ler's tone changed to a more positive one. He smiled proudly has he envisioned the future. What was it? What was it like? Norma couldn't help but wonder if she was a part of it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hello! I'm sorry about the delay! Been a busy bumble bee! This chapter may kind of suck because I really had to find my place again in the story. I'm hoping to start posting again at a steady pace! Also, I've been editing previous chapters starting at chapter 01. Only minor edits. Mostly just adding in more details. You can tell where I have edited to because the newly edited chapters because they don't have author's notes anymore because I forgot to edit them in when I was replacing the chapters. Derp.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"So, what about your family?" Once-ler asked suddenly, after the long silence. The two of them had migrated to Once-ler's bedroom after they had emptied their mugs of tea. They now sat on his floor across from each other, knitting quietly. Norma had been afraid to speak after too many minutes had gone by without any words at all. She couldn't convince him to do anything about his home life. He had no interest. He flopped back and forth a few more times between anger and denial, but nothing came of it. Eventually she had fallen into a silent despair and the two of them hadn't spoken since. Now, Once-ler stared at her intently, hoping for a story.

"My family?" Norma looked up, feeling strange to hear her own voice again. She didn't want to answer though. She thought about her childhood and home life and realized for the first time just how good she really had it. Even if her family members had their flaws, her life growing up had been nearly picture perfect. When she was at home, nothing was ever wrong. She had parents who loved her and were always there for her. She had a bratty little brother who was truly a sweetheart deep down. Even her family cat was kind and affectionate. When had anything ever gone wrong? It wasn't until she left her house and padded through the halls of her school that she was ever alone. Even then, she had never been bullied or teased. Just alone. So when she looked into Once-ler's sad, lonely eyes, she couldn't imagine telling him. How cruel would it be to rub in her picturesque life?

"Your mom seems nice," Once-ler mused, smiling small. Norma cringed and quickly looked away. She wanted nothing more than for the topic to change. She searched her mind for an answer.

"Norma?" he pressed.

"H-how am I doing?" she blurted out, lifting her knitting to his face. It was fluffy, blue, and full of holes. She had dropped many stitches and still didn't understand how to knit backwards to pick them back up. Whatever it was, it wasn't a thneed. But then again, what was a thneed, really?

Once-ler lowered his eyelids into a soft glare, gently pushing the knitting back down to her lap, "Be fair, Norma."

Norma frowned, looking away again. She _was_ being fair! She cared about Once-ler way too much to flaunt her fairy-tale life. She'd rather listen to more of his horror stories, and they tore her apart. She'd even rather return to their silent knitting, and she barely enjoyed knitting at all. There had to be a way out, she thought.

"Hey," Once-ler huffed impatiently, "I answered _your_ questions."

"I know..." Norma groaned, fidgeting her needles into a few new stitches. They came out loose and messy. She couldn't help but be disappointed.

Once-ler watched Norma carefully as she began to knit again. Her hands shook and she made mistakes that he knew she had already learned from. He didn't understand why she was avoiding his question. It was an easy question, really. Most people could easily tell the short tale of their family. He knew he was an uncommon case. Most families loved and cared for each other, he thought. Most families were happy, he believed. He longed to hear about it. To dream about it. Hearing about Norma's happiness would bring him simple joy.

Once-ler brought one of his hands to her chin and lifted her face. Her eyes made contact with his, but only for the moment. Quickly, they darted to the side in a stubborn glance.

"Be fair," he repeated.

Norma held her stare with the carpet, "I am being fair."

"What if I told you it would make me feel better if you told me more about yourself? I get curious about you too, you know!"

Norma felt her eyes move against her will and back to his. She felt uneasy. His fingers still gently held her chin in place. She could easily pull away, but she felt glued. It didn't make sense, really. She noticed her jumping heart rate and felt her face heat up. What was happening? What was this feeling? It fluttered around in her stomach, looking for a point of release. She wanted to explode.

"A-are you okay?" Once-ler questioned, forcing oxygen back into Norma's lungs. On reflex, she tore herself away, sitting straight up and stiff. She stared wide-eyed at her friend, words fizzled up in emotion. She felt stupid, then.

"Sorry!" she exasperated, looking around for something new to stare at.

"It's okay..." he said slowly, confusion enveloping his tone. He blinked. What just happened? He found himself watching her again, even more carefully than before. Her cheeks were flushed as if she had physically exerted herself, but she had done nothing more than sit. Knitting had never tuckered him out like that before.

Norma tried not to notice his curious and hard stare. She could feel it on her, but she tried to shrug it away. Knitting. Right. That's what they were doing. Knitting thneeds. Changing the world. Yeah.

A new silence was born as they both awkwardly went back to their knitting. Once-ler had almost knitted a whole thneed by now and it made Norma feel inadequate. She looked down at her own _thneed_ and saw only a tattered up mess of knotted yarn. It was a quarter of the size and didn't seem to have a shape at all. She kept stitching, even if she knew it was useless. Her best bet was to scrap the whole thing and start new. But why bother if it would only turn out the same? She kept going, practicing.

"You're doing a good job," Once-ler said kindly, looking up. Norma forced air into her cheeks, knowing he was lying. He was just too nice to tell her it was horrible. He returned his focus to his knitting. She tried to follow suit, but her fingers only wobbled clumsily. She dropped her needles. She was getting bored.

"Maybe we can write some music," Norma whispered, as if only trying to plant the idea so Once-ler would suggest it himself. He smiled, but kept knitting.

"Maybe even _now_," she whispered again.

"Maybe after I finish this thneed. I think this yarn might be perfect. I think I finally found the perfect material for my thneed!" Once-ler's smile widened, eyes sparkling proudly. His stitching pace suddenly quickened and Norma watched in awe. If she could knit that fast and perfectly, maybe she would be a little more interested in doing it for hours on end. But alas, that wasn't the case. Not yet, anyway.

"What makes this yarn any different from all the other yarns you've used?"

"Well..." Once-ler hummed thoughtfully, "It's thicker, for one. And softer. Also, the colour is much more vibrant. Eye-catching! That's important, you know!"

Norma curiously ran her fingers along the new thneed, careful not to tug too hard and spoil his stitching. It didn't feel much different than any of the other thneeds he had had her model for him. It didn't even seem much different than the very first one. She imagined it resting on her bed, at home. She had decided not to wear it today, for possibly the first time since he had given it to her. He had been quick to notice.

"You're not wearing your thneed..." he had whimpered sadly.

"It was too warm for it today," she had replied carelessly. She had hurt his feelings but she had tried not to notice. You couldn't wear a thneed every day, no matter how many things it could be.

Now, Once-ler was beginning to cast off. In no time at all, the thneed was off the needles and its own entity. Norma smiled as Once-ler stood up and shook out all the creases. It was beautiful in the way that thneeds were. She had grown a bit attached to them, finding them more interesting than when she had been first introduced. Even if they were all pretty similar, none were identical. She wondered if he realized that. They often twisted in different ways, even if it was only subtle sometimes. She enjoyed looking them over and imagining the reasons his fingers stitched the way they stitched this thneed around. Did each thneed have a story?

"Perfect," Once-ler stated, approving his own creation. He then quickly sped off, away and out of the room. Norma blinked at the new empty space. She followed after just as quick.

"Where are you going?" she called after him, running down the stairs a few steps behind. He didn't answer and instead lead her to the front door. He pulled it open and lunged outside. It was sunny.

Once-ler looked up to the sky and frowned deeply, "Not a cloud in sight..."

Norma followed his eyes to the clear blue atmosphere. It was a beautiful day, really. The air was cool, but dry. There wasn't much snow left on the ground. Spring had jumped into full action early, even before the official equinox. She was surprised they had spent the whole day indoors. Today could have been the perfect day to lie atop their hill and daydream. But there hill was taken. Norma found herself frowning too.

Once-ler turned to her and looked her up and down. Thneed in hand, he started wrapping it around her head. The first time this had happened it had startled her. Even the second and third time it had caught her off guard. By this point, it didn't faze her. She was basically a thneed mannequin. He formed it into the hood fashion he had invented months ago. She didn't ask.

"If only it would rain. I want to test it," he grumbled to himself, folding and creasing the thneed to form around her face perfectly. When he was satisfied, he took a step back and admired his work. And his friend. Pretty little Norma, as perfect as a doll. He could easily imagine her being the face of his thneed. No matter which way she wore it, it always looked perfect. People would definitely want to buy it if they thought it could make them as adorable as her! He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

"W-what?" Norma stammered, embarrassed. Had he made her look stupid? She tore away the thneed and tossed it back to him. He caught it and thought. How could you test a hood for the rain without rain?

"Okay, stay still. Don't move," Once-ler instructed twenty minutes later. He had come up with an idea and had wrapped the thneed hood around Norma once more. He positioned her a few metres away from the gardens, back turned away from him. She questioned him, but he didn't answer. She placed her hands to her hips in annoyance.

"I don't really like surprises," Norma groaned, staring off into the nothingness that the surrounding land had to offer. She heard Once-ler laugh again, under his breath, and fumble around with things. She wanted to turn around. She was _going _to turn around. There was no way she was going to stand here, staring at nothing, while he worked through his sudden _idea_. She wasn't a guinea pig. It was bad enough she was a mannequin, but she wasn't going to be a guinea pig. She huffed to herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay, are you ready?" she heard Once-ler ask.

"No? Ready for what-" Norma turned around only to receive a horrible blast of frigid cold water to the face. She screamed, running away from the stream. Her eyes burned and she ran blindly, but the water followed her. What? What?

"Stay still!" Once-ler chirped, following the frantic girl with his garden hose. It was a brilliant idea, really. No rain? Make rain! But if she kept running away, he wouldn't be able to test the thneed to its fullest.

"Once-ler!" Norma screamed, turning her back to the blast and rubbing her eyes, "Stop it!"

The water stopped just as it had been beckoned. Norma was afraid to turn around. She felt tears sting her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Once-ler asked from behind her. A sob was her only response.

"H-hey!" Once-ler called out, dropping the hose and running over to her. When he reached her, she was already crying. An instant wave of guilt ran through his nervous system.

"Once-ler, you jerk! What the Hell did you do that for?" she screamed, looking up at him, enraged.

Once-ler trembled, wordless.

"Do you have any _clue_ how much that hurt?"

"It's just water," Once-ler pouted.

"_Freezing_ water. In my _face_!"

"Oh, but it's for the greater good," he tried to smile, "Thneed testing. It's an important part of its development-"

"I _hate_ you!"

And with that, Norma stormed away. She slammed his own front door in his face when he tried to follow after her. Maybe he had known this wasn't going to go over well. Okay, he had known completely. But did she have to get so mad? He had never heard her scream like that before, and it brought goose bumps to his flesh. He had hoped she'd be a little more excited about thneed testing. He was curious how well the hood had kept the water out. He followed the soppy footmarks up the stairs and to the bathroom door.

He knocked.

"Go away!" she shouted through the door.

Once-ler cringed, but forced himself to knock again. This time she didn't reply. He took initiative and pushed open the door. With the barrier gone, he found Norma sitting on the bathroom floor, soaking wet. She had taken off the thneed and it sat in a mess beside her. She looked anything but happy. Her hair hadn't stayed dry with the thneed's protection and started to twist and curl around her face. He felt nostalgia as a small memory played in the back of his mind. Rainy day Norma. Girly, curly Norma.

"Your hair," he pointed out, admiring her. She frowned, realizing just what the water had done. She pulled the wet thneed over her face in shame.

"Go away," she moaned.

Once-ler crouched down in front of her, looking her over carefully. No, the thneed hadn't done a good job at keeping her dry at all. But he didn't seem to care about that anymore. He tugged the mess of dripping yarn away from her face and placed it back on the floor. She looked up at him, teary eyed and frowny faced. He smiled.

"You're beautiful."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Oh. I can't handle my own cheesiness. v.v


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

How many days had passed since Grammy's story had begun? Ted found himself sitting on the ground, tallying the days into the dirt. Audrey was crouched beside him, admiring Thneedville's first Truffula treeling. _Hope_. The little Truffula hadn't grown much during the week past. It seemed to smile as Audrey sprinkled water over its cotton candy tufts, though. Audrey smiled too.

"I'm surprised I was able to pull you away from the story," Ted mentioned quietly, eyes fixed to the treeling. He knew if he let himself, he could stare deep into Audrey for hours. He didn't let himself.

"I'm just glad you reminded me," Audrey admitted with a half-hearted smile. When she had arrived at Ted's home that morning, she had been bent on finding out what had happened next in the tale of Grandma Norma and the Once-ler. Ted, on the other hand, hadn't been. She had pulled and tugged at his resting form, sleep deprived by too many early rises and late - video game induced - sets. He held fast to his blankets and sheets, reluctant. It couldn't have lasted, though.

Ted had given in quickly, allowing Audrey to pull his pyjama-clothed body out of bed, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. It had been a rough journey, as he stumbled and tripped, trying to keep up with Audrey's quick feet. There they had found Grammy, perched in her usual morning place at the table, sipping strong coffee and thumbing through the local news. She gave them a warm smile when they seated themselves down across from her.

"Good morning!" Audrey had chirped, launching her arms up and into the air for emphasis, "I am _so_ ready to hear the rest of the story now!"

Ted had frowned, glancing over to the calendar on the refrigerator. The two of them had made a pact many months ago, when the ground had given birth to the first Truffula. They were to visit the trees weekly - always together - to ensure that they were healthy, growing, and quenched. Even with Audrey caught up in the tale, he was sure she cared for the trees more than it. He had to bring it up.

"Don't we have to do _something_ today?" Ted had mentioned, cautiously. One thing he had come to learn about Audrey was her aggressive nature when it came to things she was passionate about. At one point he would have believed he couldn't have done anything to make her mad. Now, he wasn't so sure.

Audrey looked to Ted, confused and frustrated. She was quick to clue into his gaze and follow it to the date, though.

Now, the two of them sat quietly, watching the little treeling soak in the moisture. Audrey imagined its little appreciative sigh and held her smile. As much as she had hoped for a conclusion that morning, she was happy to be there. Seeing and nurturing the trees brought her simple joy. How could she ever have even forgotten?

"Well…" Ted mumbled, still keeping his eyes away from the girl, "I guess it's about time we head back?"

Audrey looked around her town, eyes wide and hungry. Thneedville had always been extravagant. Big and beautiful in its own unique way. Now, as the Truffulas grew out, it was becoming beautiful in a more proper way. She and Ted had wandered around the town with their watering can, but she craved to see more. More than all she had ever known. She wanted to step outside the boundaries, like Ted had. She wanted to go on an adventure.

"Let's go see the Once-ler," Audrey whispered, bolting upwards into a standing position. She brushed off the soil from her clothes with the palms of her hands as she waited for acknowledgement. Ted's eyes finally met her and he stared with a crinkled nose.

"_Now_?"

"Well, why not? We still haven't gone to thank him!" Audrey insisted, eyes full of wonder. She wanted to hear the rest of the story, but she also wanted to meet the man behind it. It was amazing to know that the Once-ler truly existed, and wasn't just a figment of a fairy-tale. This wasn't like the books she read at home. This was something real. And suddenly, she didn't care how it ended. She just wanted to find the Once-ler and bring him here. Bring him to Thneedville. Show him all the beauty and extravagance that he had brought to it. And finally, introduce him to a woman he could have only loved. Audrey couldn't withhold her sparkling grin.

Ted, on the other hand, wasn't so sure, "Grammy's expecting us back. We can't just take off without at least telling her…."

"But that'll ruin the surprise…." Audrey trailed off, staring intently in the direction she felt she had to go to find the Once-ler. How exciting would it be to see Grammy's face if she brought him home for dinner? They could knit again. They could play music again. They could do anything and everything again!

"Audrey," Ted said sternly, realizing what she was thinking, "We can't do anything stupid. Especially without knowing how everything ended up. For all we know, something really _bad_ could have happened. I really think we should wait."

Audrey frowned. She was three years older than the boy, yet somehow he was making more sense than her. She understood what he was telling her, but she didn't like it. She wanted nothing more than to turn her life into the romantic comedy she dreamt of. But things didn't really work that way. Well, why couldn't they?

"You don't have to come," Audrey huffed. Her mind was made up now. She walked away from Ted, stiff and unsure. She didn't really know which way to go, but she was planning to go anyway. These beautiful trees brought her so much happiness. She wanted to share that with the Once-ler. How lost could she really get? How big could the world outside of Thneedville truly be?

"Audrey, it's dangerous!" Ted called to her, standing up to his feet. Audrey didn't look back though. He sighed. Who knew a girl could be so much trouble? He may have had some of his own delusions from time to time, but Audrey was really taking the cake. She was bent really hard on something. Something that he was sure could only be a bad, _very bad_, idea. The more he thought about it, the more worried he would get.

Audrey found herself standing on an invisible line, where the walls of Thneedville once stood. Her hands lifted and she touched it. It wasn't there, but she could almost feel it, cold and hard against her fingertips. But all that was there was air. Real air. Real, breathable, and beautiful air. She drew it in, filling up her lungs. Nothing had ever felt better.

When she looked back, she realized Ted hadn't followed her. She was surprised. She had been sure he would have no matter how much he may not have wanted to. She bit down on her bottom lip, her nerves starting to jitter. Without Ted, she was treading blind. Wherever the Once-ler was, it was far enough to leave her feeling lost before taking a single step. She took in the environment. Livelier than it was, but still so dead. She was suddenly so very afraid.

"Audrey, why don't we go home now?" Ted suggested. He had been slow to follow, but he had in the end. He wasn't comfortable with the thought of Audrey wandering around the dead terrain, trying to find something that barely even existed. He barely managed to go unscathed himself, each time he had wandered outside of town. But she hadn't made it far. He found her staring out into the nothingness. Her brave face was gone. All she wore was fear.

"How can the Once-ler live out here?" she finally replied after the two of them had stood in the silence. Her voice was soft and sad. Her eyes fell to her feet.

Ted looked out at the valley he had seen so many times before. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was repairing itself day by day. He was a little shocked to see the differences. How had he not noticed before? The speckles of Truffula tuft brought about a different emotion in him. Not so much_ death_ anymore, but a little more _hope_. But still he couldn't deny the overwhelming _loneliness_.

"I..." Ted started, but he was at a loss. He knew _why_ the Once-ler had confined himself to the dead valley. He knew why, but somehow he just couldn't find the words to explain it. They were feelings that he had never felt before. Intense regret and shame. Sure, there had been times when he had gotten himself into trouble at school or with his mother, but it all seemed so petty in comparison. Spending the night in his bedroom could never compare to fifty-something years out there. Out there, being one with the nothingness.

He knew, but he could never understand.

"Let's go home," Audrey finally said. She sounded sadder than he had ever heard before. The lifelessness of the valley seemed to have sucked the life right out of her as well. Ted wanted to embrace her then, but he didn't. He wanted to take her into his arms and whisper something consoling in her ear, but he couldn't. He only nodded and the two of them turned around. They could feel the cold against their backs as they walked away, slowly but indefinitely. Today was not the day. The Once-ler would have to wait.

They reached Ted's house by noon to find Grammy waiting just where they had left her. The dampened mood between the two of them lifted quickly when she chirped a kind greeting.

The story would go on now. All they wanted - _needed_ - was a happy ending.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This is so short! It's just to add a little bit of depth to Ted and Audrey since I have been neglecting them a bit. So... enjoy? c: Thank you again, and always, to my readers. Also, if you happen to be on tumblr, you can stalk me under _alirical_. Just saying. c:


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"He said I was beautiful..." Norma whispered to her reflection. It was late in the night, treading closely to the morning hours. She couldn't sleep. Her reflection stared back at her carefully, looking deep inside her. Questioning her. Her wild and curly hair lay like a mop on her head. It was hard to look at it. She had been straightening and hiding her frizzy hair for so many months now that it made her cringe to see it in its natural state. It twisted and bent wherever it wanted to, following no specific flow. It was horrible. Just horrible.

"How could he think _this_ is beautiful," she grumbled bitterly, pulling her hair back into a ponytail to hide it. Her eyes donned dark bags and she was paler than usual. She looked ill, sleep deprived but too disturbed to go to bed. How long had she been standing in the bathroom, staring at herself? She had watched her liveliness slowly deteriorate as the hours passed. Beautiful?

What was beauty, but in the eye of the beholder?

_No_.

"How could you say that to me?" Norma was starting to get flustered with herself and her thoughts. The rest of that day had gone awkward. Norma had been a sopping wet mess and curly while Once-ler had been awestruck and full of compliments. They had tried to write and play music, but neither of them were able to focus. She had been uncomfortable, confused, and without words. Once-ler had been full of love songs and kind lyrics. Why had he been staring at her so intensely as he sang those beautiful words? She felt her every detail absorb into his eyes. She felt naked and exposed. But most of all, she felt admired. She felt like a painting on display. He made her feel loved, but she didn't want to be loved. Not like that. Or did she?

"No..." Norma started to cry. Was she happy or was she sad? Did what she was feeling even have a word to describe it? She couldn't find it, no matter how hard to filed through her internal dictionaries. So she only cried. She fell to her knees to disappear from her reflection. She couldn't bear to look at it anymore. And she cried and cried as quietly as she could, deeper and deeper into the night. She remembered, too. She remembered the time she told her mother that she knew _exactly_ what she was feeling. What happened to that time? What was now?

The following morning, Norma woke in her bed. How had she gotten there? She couldn't remember. All she remembered was crying until there was nothing. She touched her face, but there were no more tears. It was a new day. Time to forget yesterday.

She got up. She showered. She fixed herself up. An hour had passed before she was sitting at the kitchen table trying to eat her breakfast. Her mom was there, as usual. She worked from home so she was always there. She flipped through the newspaper like every other morning. She sipped her coffee as she did each and every day. It was darker today.

"Don't you usually take your coffee with a lot of milk?" Norma commented when she noticed the black coffee. Her mother looked up at her, but only smiled. Norma blinked, waiting for an answer. It never came. She just looked back down to her paper and turned another page.

She was up all night, Norma realized. Someone had to have brought her to her bed, right? She felt the awkwardness settle in her stomach. She had tried to be as quiet as she could have been, but of course her mother would have heard her. Her parents' bedroom was the next door from the bathroom. It had been inevitable for her to have heard. So Norma fell into the silence between them.

And just let it be.

"Once-ler is expecting you," words flowed from her mom's lips. Had she even moved them? Norma felt like she had been snapped awake. She stiffened. She then thought about the meaning behind the words.

"H-he is? How do you know? Where?" Norma questioned quickly, confused. A bit scared, too. Their parting the day before had been a little cold because of her. She remembered turning away from his open arms when saying goodbye. How could she have been so cruel? She never knew how to deal with her feelings properly. It was always later that she realized this. When it was too little too late.

Her mother didn't answer once again. Was Norma just supposed to know? It was nearing 10:00 AM. Where was he waiting? How long had he already been waiting? Norma stopped thinking and bolted up and away from the table. She was out the door in seconds.

The first place Norma thought of was the playground across the way. It was really the only place she could imagine Once-ler waiting for her. So she ran across the street in front of her house and toward the park. No one was around. The grass was damp and dewy and the air felt thick and humid. A slight fog twirled in the air at a distance. As she ran toward it, it disappeared. It wrapped around her, as fog seemed to do. It was always everywhere but where one stood.

Norma slowed down as she closed in on her target location. It was late enough in the morning for children to be out and about, she felt. Fog usually faded by now, she believed. Something wasn't right, but she didn't know what it was. She slowed to a near crawl.

"Once-ler?" she called out nervously when her first footfall met with the wet sand. No reply. She looked around carefully, but he was nowhere to be seen. She quickly decided he wasn't there. Then where was he? She started wandering toward their hill, but she could see from the ground that the top was empty. She climbed it anyway. She reached the top, and looked over her neighbourhood. The silence was overwhelming. The only sound she heard was her breathing-

"Hello Norma!"

Norma spun around to find Once-ler behind her, smiling brightly. She choked on her own gasp for air, shocked and frightened by the suddenness. He laughed. She frowned.

"Once-ler! Don't sneak up on me!"

"_The _Once-ler," he corrected with a sly smile and then turned away. This caught Norma off guard. He hadn't done that in a long while.

"W-wait, where are you going?" she cried out when Once-ler started running down the hill and away. He didn't answer. He kept running so she ran after him. The two of them ran for what felt like forever. It didn't take long for her to see where he was going. _Home_.

"Once-ler, _why_?" Norma called to him. Was he running away from her or leading her? If he had wanted her to go over to his home, why hadn't he just said something? What could his motives be?

Forty-five minutes went by faster than it should have. Norma suddenly felt shaken awake again when she realized she was standing in front of his house now. Had she ran all the way there? Her heart rate wasn't elevated. Her breath wasn't trying to find itself. She stared at the front door and wondered if Once-ler was inside. She also wondered when she had lost her mind.

Instead of knocking, she opened the door and entered. The house was quiet. His family was gone for the week, so it might as well have been empty. If Once-ler was about, he was probably upstairs in his room. But wait, didn't she follow him there? Norma decided not to think and to only do. She climbed the stairs and approached his room.

"Hello Norma!" Once-ler cheered, opening his bedroom door quick and suddenly. Norma had been inches away from grabbing a hold of the handle. She jumped back, startled. He smiled. She stared. It felt like a replay of their meeting on the hill only moments ago. Wait, or did she mean forty-five minutes ago?

"I'm not feeling very well, Once-ler," Norma chose to say, cradling her face in the palms of her hands. She had been up late last night, she hadn't slept enough. She felt like she was hallucinating. Once-ler held his smile. It was plastic. He barely looked real.

"Let's play doctor, then!" he chirped, grabbing Norma's hand and pulling her into his room.

"W-what?" she stammered, resisting. He was stronger than her, though. Somehow. He dragged her to his bed and pushed her down. She fell into the mattress and he smiled victoriously. He then sat down next to her.

"Just kidding," he teased, "That wouldn't be appropriate, now would it?"

Norma stared at Once-ler, feeling more and more confused by the moment. She started to doubt her state of mind. She started to think she was still asleep.

"Norma, can I talk to you about something?"

"O-okay..."

"Remember yesterday?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Don't forget yesterday, okay? It's an important part of our character development!" Once-ler giggled girlishly.

Norma continued to stare, "What?"

"You shouldn't straighten your hair so much. Your hair is pretty when it's curly! Really though. I mean it. Is that weird for me to say?"

"Kind of..." Norma admitted. She wasn't feeling comfortable. She wanted to disappear now.

"I don't think it's that weird," Once-ler tapped his chin in thought, "Honestly, imagine how much happier people would be if everyone felt comfortable enough to tell people when they're beautiful. I mean, it feels nice to be complimented and it feels nice to get that sort of thing off your chest."

Once-ler stared quietly as if waiting for a reply. Norma couldn't hold the eye contact. She sat up in his bed and looked down at her lap. Why was he saying so much suddenly? It wasn't like Once-ler to get all profound on her. He was usually quiet and kept to himself. On the other hand, Norma had always wanted him to open up more to her. But why did it have to be like this?

"It's not good for your hair to straighten it all the time, anyway," he added after the moment's silence, "You'll dry it out and your hair will be like straw."

"What would _you_ know about that sort of thing?" Norma frowned, twirling a strand of hair with her fingers. She always tried to ignore that fact. It was a fact though. Her hair wasn't nearly as soft as it had been six and a half months ago. It wasn't _straw_, but it wasn't silk either. It was stuck some awkward place in between. She looked up at Once-ler. Kind of like how she felt right then.

Once-ler still wore the same artificial smile, "I know because_ you_ know."

"That doesn't even make any-" Norma started to snipe but was interrupted. When had Once-ler moved in so close? When had his hands ended up around her waist? How had he managed to kiss her without her even realizing?

His lips were warm and soft against hers. She gasped for air. She didn't know what to do with them. She tried to pull away, but her body fell limp. His mouth pressed into hers and their seemed to dance as if they they had danced before. If this was a kiss, it was more than she had ever imagined. What started out small seemed to deepen as Once-ler pulled her in closer. Her mind ran miles as her wide eyes fluttered shut. What was happening?

It was and then it wasn't. It was over much too quickly. They were staring at each other in silence. Once-ler was still smiling, but Norma wore a face of fear and discomfort. This wasn't right. This wasn't what was supposed to be happening. But somehow and someway, it didn't feel _wrong_ either.

"Once-ler..." she mumbled, fighting the overwhelming urge to look away. He was staring into her again. Just like yesterday, she felt his eyes scan her every little detail. Her own eyes tried to look deep into him, as well. It was difficult. Everything was difficult. Even thinking was difficult. All she could feel was a soft tingle left on her lips. The soft yearning for more...

_No_...

When she woke up on the bathroom floor she could still feel that tingle. It wasn't real, but she could still feel it prickling the nerve endings in her lips. Her eyes focused on the wall clock. Only an hour had passed since she had been a sobbing mess in the mirror. She stood up and met it again. Her mind was numb.

Nothing about that dream had been okay.

The next day, Norma couldn't face Once-ler. She didn't answer the phone when he called. She didn't call back when he left messages. Not even when her mother came in and told her that he was worried sick. She stayed in bed with the flu. Not the real flu, but it might as well have been. She felt upside-down on the inside. She had been so sure once. So sure of _exactly_ how she felt. But now?

Was there such a thing as simply _friendship_ between a boy and a girl?

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Oh, what a horrible chapter. I tried to make it choppy and confusing to fit into the fact that it was just a dream sequence. To be honest, this chapter wasn't originally planned. I'm kind of being a_ sellout_ and providing a bit of _fan service_. Not that this is satisfying at all. ;D What am I even saying? I just took the chance to delve into Norma's character a bit. She's such an emotional roller coaster, so I have fun torturing her. Dx

I love you, readers. I'm going to ask a weird question. My boyfriend suggested I post up readings of this fanfic somewhere (probably tumblr) for my readers. I thought it was kind of crazy because who would want to listen to me read this? D: But he says people would, so I was just wondering if that was actually true. Feedback would be appreciated!

Thank you for reading! This is a really long and awkward author's note. Goes well with the really awkward chapter. c:


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"Oh, I knew it!" Audrey cheered, exhilarated, "I knew you'd fall in love with the Once-ler. I just _knew_ it!"

Ted gaped at the booming interruption, but made not a word. Audrey was on her feet, palms tight together by her right cheek and sparkles in her eyes. She had jumped up the second the story had led into that _kiss_. Even after it had been quickly dismissed, she was still upright and excited. It hadn't brought her back down like Ted had been expecting it to. As soon as he had realized it was a dream, he had started dreading the let down Audrey was going to feel. She had been too caught up in the idea of romance to hear the whimsy in Grammy's voice. The unrealness of it all.

"Oh, pfff! I wasn't in love with him," Grammy quickly denied with a light sense of stubbornness, a pale blush illuminating her face, "It was only a dream!"

Audrey's eyes squinted, "Oh my, are you still shy about it even now?! That is just so cute!"

Ted could only continue to gape.

"N-no!" Grammy stammered, looking away all flustered. Ted looked at her carefully. It was easier than ever to imagine that seventeen-year-old Norma growing up to be his grandmother. Stubborn and defiant. In denial and naïve. But he had never really seen this side of her before. This didn't feel normal. This didn't feel right.

Audrey said nothing. She smiled proudly at Grammy with her all-knowing eyes. The older woman stared back with uneasiness, but as soon as it was there it was gone. Grammy's face melted suddenly into a stern and straight expression.

"Love is more complicated than that, Audrey," she said in a slow whisper, "If it could be decided by only a dream, my, the world would be a much happier and easier place to be."

"But-" Audrey began.

"Love grows just like the trees. But without the proper care..." Grammy stared solemnly, "it'll only wilt."

**ooooo**

By Wednesday afternoon, everything had become normal again. Or so Norma had tried to make it appear. Once-ler had tried asking questions, but just like her telephone the day before, there weren't any answers for him. She smiled awkwardly. She stared at her feet. She changed the topic. She did everything in her power to keep off the subject. He quickly realized that whatever had kept her away from him the day before, she planned to keep to herself today.

"You're not mad at me, right?" Once-ler questioned uncomfortably while seated on his bed. Norma looked over to him, shifting her eyes from her knitting fingers to his blue gaze. She seemed shocked to hear such a question. She shook her head slowly.

"No... why would I be?" Norma asked back, blinking in confusion. She was trying to act as natural as possible. What had gone on the last two days had been nothing Once-ler needed to know about. She didn't _want_ Once-ler to know about it. Imagine the freak he'd think she was if he knew she had dreamt of him in such a way? Their friendship would be over for sure, and that was the very last thing that she wanted to happen. She cherished their friendship. More than she even realized.

The two of them were knitting again. It had been Norma's idea this time. Once-ler had been quick to suggest that they play around with his guitar and make some music, but she had denied it. She wanted to knit, she had told him. She wanted to get better, she had insisted. Really, she only wanted not to have to sing. She was feeling too many things to sing. There were simply too many love songs floating around in her head, dying to escape. So she knitted, waiting for them to cease.

"You're not usually this quiet," Once-ler commented, "Usually you're actually quite loud."

"So?!" Norma blurted out uneasily, eyes pinched to her knitting.

"So?" Once-ler looked into Norma with a careful stare, "That's your queue to start talking."

Norma looked up again and saw the upset in his face. A frown dug deep into the corners of his mouth and his eyes were full of uncertainty. She wanted to be able to tell him right then. She wanted to grab a hold of him and scream everything at the very top of her lungs. Everyone in the neighbourhood would have heard if he hadn't lived out in the middle of nowhere. But imagine how his face would change if she uttered even a word of their make-believe kiss. All because of what? Because he complimented her hair? It was silly. It was immature. It was a dream. Just a dream.

"Is it starting to look right at all?" Norma chirped, lifting up her thneed-to-be to Once-ler's face. His expression changed quickly to surprise and he snatched the thneed away. He kept his gaze on her. He knew her well enough to know when she was acting. It didn't happen often, but when it did it stung deep in his circulatory system. Like a pulsing pain traveling his entire being. It brought on fear, most of all. It made him afraid that it had finally dawned on Norma. That finally, after the many months they had spent together getting into mischief and what not, she had realized she didn't want to be his friend anymore. How heartbreaking would it be to slink back into his old life of having no one? Being alone. Just him and his dream. Him and his thneed.

"Norma..." he began slowly, but then the words were lost. What could he say that she could understand?

"Once-ler, come on now! You have no reason to worry," Norma cooed as she knitted. Her knitting was still a little loose, but she was working on tightening it up. She was getting better, that was for sure. If nothing else, she could say that.

Once-ler watched Norma, unconvinced. Sometimes it seemed that she believed him to be naïve. He was smarter than that though. If his life had taught him anything, it was how to tell if someone was lying. He had been lied to a lot. By his family. By his peers. Even his teachers had faked smiles and kind words when it was needed. At this point in his life, it didn't even hurt anymore. Not from anyone...

"R-really..." she whispered with a soft and uncertain stutter.

Except from_ her_. Oh, it hurt more than anything coming from her. It hurt more than tripping and skinning your palms and knees against the cement. It hurt more than spilling a fresh cup of tea onto your lap and earning first degree burns. It even hurt more than being left behind in a big and empty house for Spring Break.

"Can't we change the topic?" her voice was still low and slow.

Once-ler's eyebrows furrowed, "No."

"But aren't there so many other things we could talk about?"

"No."

Norma could feel Once-ler eyes burning holes into her skin, leaving her feeling like Swiss cheese. It wasn't a pleasent feeling. The guilt was overwhelming. She felt her eyes wander cautiously to Once-ler's guitar. It was propped delicately against his desk, where Once-ler had placed it when she had rejected it earlier. She had wanted nothing to do with it, but now it looked like a savior. The simplest way out.

"_Won't you give me just a minute_..." Norma whispered in a quiet melody. She turned away in the swivel chair and grabbed hold of the instrument. It was cold in her hands. It seemed to tremble, or was that her own grasp?

She cleared her throat, "..._before jumping to all your conclusions_..."

Once the guitar was on her lap, she began to strum a few half-hearted chipper chords. They vibrated alone as her mind scavenged for the words that she wanted, while burying away the ones that she didn't. As she covered them with metaphorical soil, they fought their way back up like the undead. These zombie feelings that she had been trying to kill were strong... much stronger than her.

The notes changed abruptly, slowing down, "_It's just a little more complicated_..._ than that_..."

"Norma, what are you doing?" Once-ler had been slow to address the sudden change to her choice of communication. He had heard her soft voice and it had paralyzed him. Not for the beauty of it - not to say it wasn't beautiful - but for its abruptness. He had watched her fight with herself as she pulled his guitar upon her lap, and sang out a few more lines. She had a uncomfortable look on her face as she tried initiate eye contact and hold onto it. He waited.

"_I don't even remember sleeping_," she sang, ignoring Once-ler's questioning stare, "_And then suddenly I woke up. But somehow somewhere in between_..."

A long pause filled the air with nothing but her shallow breaths. Once-ler looked on, becoming more confused than anything else.

"..._you stole a kiss from me_..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I realize it's been a really long time, and I'm really sorry. School started and my life has changed pretty drastically over the past two months. I _am_ going to finish this fanfic, but probably not at the quick pace I was in the beginning. This chapter is really short because I technically meant to write more to it, but I thought I'd post it up like this to remind my readers that I still exist. Awkward cliffhanger. Trying to get back on track with the actual story. Blarg. Thank you for being such amazing readers!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"And she hasn't spoken to me since then!" Once-ler finished, after a long thirty minutes of wiping the same counter top and explaining the last few days' events to himself and Mr. Cuddles. His chipper tone didn't match the twisted frown on his lips. He had tried a smile when he reached the ending of his tale. Instead, he stood nearly motionless behind the counter, doing nothing but scrubbing away at the marble.

"You're going to put a hole in it if you keep going at it like that," Mr. Cuddles - or Bob - replied, following Once-ler's circling hand with his eyes. He was sitting at the counter, sipping away at his coffee as if he were a customer. He had found his place on that particular high stool after inquiring about the missing Norma. She was always there when Once-ler was, after all. The days without her carefree strumming always dragged on in a miserable lull.

"I just don't get it," Once-ler admitted, sighing loudly and bring his hand to a slow stop, "Why is everything suddenly so complicated with her?"

Mr. Cuddles took a careful breath of his coffee, enjoying it sensually, and then emptying the last of it with a final swallow. He wrapped both of his palms against the sides of the mug, feeling the lingering warmth before it faded. He smiled a satisfied smile, "You've gotten very good at this brew."

Once-ler watched his boss. He felt confused. Usually, this man was willing and eager to cut him a piece of advice when he felt Once-ler was being obliviously dense. Instead, the one time that Once-ler felt it all on his own, Mr. Cuddles was commenting on his coffee and leaving the mess of words alone.

"Th-thank you, sir," Once-ler hesitated, "But I was hoping you had something to say about Norma..."

"Norma?" Mr. Cuddles questioned, grinning brightly, "She's a darling. Finest thing to ever waltz in here. Well, I mean, excluding my wife... fifty or so years ago."

"That's... not what I mean t," Once-ler replied with an unamused mumble, but Mr. Cuddles only kept grinning. The older man was teasing him, Once-ler realized. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence at the Cuddles' Café. It felt like, more often than not, he was the butt of everyone's jokes. It was all in good fun, they'd say. Don't be so uptight, they'd insist.

"Think of it this way, Beanstalk: How would you feel if Jack never planted you in the ground and climbed you up?" Mr. Cuddles questioned with a genuine interest. He stroked his chin in thought. Once-ler stared uncomfortably, processing the question as if it were a foreign language.

"What?" he blurted out with a sputter.

"Or, what if you were Jack, and Jill never came tumbling after?"

"I'm not really-"

"Or, what if you were Once-ler, and Jill was Norma, and you started listening with your eyes instead of your ears?"

Once-ler chose not to interrupt this time.

"Women, my boy, are complicated creatures. Well, every person you'll ever meet will be a complicated creature in some shape or another. Even you - with your doe-eyed stare whenever someone tries to explain something to you with a metaphor - are a complicated creature," he paused to ponder his words carefully, "But I'm straying from the point. _Women_ are complicated creatures, and your Norma is inching very close to being a woman. Do you understand?"

"N-no..."

"If you are only listening to her words, but you aren't seeing her words or feeling her words, the two of you will end up living in a permanent state of distress. Especially with them artsy types, who try to express themselves with colours and melodies and whatnot," Mr. Cuddles stopped himself to see if Once-ler was following. The look of daft confusion in the lines of his face made it pretty evident that he wasn't.

"Okay. Put on some more coffee. Same blend. Make us both a cup," Mr. Cuddles instructed, standing up from the stool. He stretched carefully, frowning at his frail body that had already gone stiff from the lack of movement. How many years had it been since he had been as naïve as this boy? He looked Once-ler over, up and down. He was a tall boy. Tall and scrawny. Not very sturdy looking at all. Emotionally stunted, it also seemed. It was long before the older man's hair had grayed, and his body had aged that he had been in such a similar state. He remembered it, but it had been oh so long ago.

"Sir, I don't drink coffee," Once-ler quietly tried to decline, "I'd rather tea."

"I think you'll need some coffee," he replied, "I'll be in the back. Just come get me when it's ready."

With that, Mr. Cuddles exited, leaving Once-ler alone with the store front. He wasn't feeling very satisfied. He had taken the time to tell his story in hopes for some aid, but he was left only more confused. Norma was a woman? Well, that was pretty obvious, but so what if she was? She was human just like him. They both breathed air and had to deal with all the same people problems. Didn't they?

Once-ler started the coffee, measuring carefully and precisely. Working there at the café had become somewhat of a pleasure. It had taken him a while to adapt to the patterns, but just like his knitting, he mastered them. It had become somewhat like an art. Everything needed perfection, and he knew just how to twist his wrists and steady his fingers to meet it. Milkshakes never ended up anywhere but in the glasses nowadays, even with Norma's distractions and sing-along songs.

The café was silent that day. Three or four customers had come in for a coffee to go, but that was all. Norma would have loved the freedom if she had been there. On the other hand, she had never really been too concerned about the customers. To her, they were an eager audience, ready to bathe in her glorious music. She was a little too imaginative, Once-ler always thought. A little too wrapped up in her dreams. But he didn't care today. He just wanted to hear her silly little songs and be apart of her magic. Today, that was all he wanted.

When the coffee was ready, and the two cups were poured, Mr. Cuddles returned all on his own. He inhaled the steam and enjoyed it. Then, he beckoned Once-ler to follow and lead him to a table. They both sat across from each other, coffees warming their faces.

"So, what are you looking for me to say that you don't already know?" Mr. Cuddles finally asked after a long silence of the two staring into their mugs.

Once-ler thought before he answered. What was it that he wanted to hear? He wondered about Norma and what she could possibly be thinking. He wondered about her song and how she ran away from him again. Why did she always have to run away? How did that solve anything? He imagined her boarded up in her bedroom, quiet and alone. He imagined her telephone ringing whenever he tried calling, and the way she would just turn away from it. What had he done? What could he do? He realized what he wanted was to be told what to _do_.

"You want to know what I think?" Mr. Cuddles started, leaning back in his chair, "I think the only person you can really talk to about this is Norma."

"She won't talk to me."

The older man smiled loosely, "I understand that... but maybe you need to find a way to make her want to."

Once-ler let a sigh escape him. He slid the coffee cup away gently and folded his arms on the table top to rest his head. His eyelids lowered, "I've tried everything."

"Hmm? Everything? And how long ago did you say this all happened?"

"It was Wednesday," Once-ler answered briefly, his voice muffled in the sleeve of his shirt. He fell into a flashback for the moment, looking backward three days. Norma had sat at his desk, guitar in hand, strumming away and singing words that he hadn't been able to understand. He remembered gawking, confusion overtaking his train of thought. He remembered questioning her one too many times. She had exploded to her feet and ran from the room. He had called out to her. Followed her. By the time he had reached his front door, she had been out of sight. Somewhere. She had even taken his guitar. By accident, maybe?

"I ran after her that day," Once-ler recollected, putting his words into the air, "I ran all the way to her door. She wouldn't let me in, though. Her mother answered. She said I could wait in the living room. She's bound to come out eventually, she said. I don't know why she was on my side. Even so, she never came out. I waited until near midnight before her mother kindly drove me home. So then I tried calling her. Everyday. I tried coming over again. What more can I do?"

Mr. Cuddles nodded along with Once-ler's words as he envisioned it. Did he have an answer for him? No, probably not. Once-ler knew he had already said all that could be said. It was all up to Norma, now.

"To me," Mr. Cuddles mused, "it seems pretty obvious what's going on."

Once-ler groaned, "What?"

"I shouldn't have to tell you, my long-legged friend. So, all_ I'm_ going to say is that sometimes love catches like a cold. And it's contagious, so think really hard about what you want. But if I were you, I'd ditch this popsicle stand and make her face you. Three days is long enough to sulk in a pool of self questioning."

"But I'm still here for another two and a half hours..." Once-ler expressed after glancing to the clock on the wall by the front counter.

"I say take your chance to vamoose, before I change my mind," his boss chuckled with a glare, "The way this day has been going, there ain't any customers that want your service anyhow."

Once-ler gave a quick nod and took his queue to make his departure. He thanked Mr. Cuddles, even though he wasn't sure what for, and made his way for the door. There were no more words between them. The old man was left alone with two cups of coffee and a head full of thoughts. He had a genuine smile playing along his mouth, though.

Once-ler didn't know what he was going to do. He trotted down the side-walk, madness spiralling inside him. What use was this? How would this turn out any different than before? Was he going to knock on her door again? Sit on her living room sofa for hours again? Drink tea with her mother again? Watch sports with her father again? Pitch a tent in the backyard and refuse to go home until she came out... again? No, not _again_. That one was new.

It was nearing two in the afternoon, and the sun was high and bright in the clear sky. The little town of Floraville was quiet for what were usually bustling and lively Saturdays. Once-ler felt like he was the only motion as he hurried on through, rehearsing and reconstructing plans inside his head to somehow win Norma back. But why did he have to? If they were mutually best friends, why did he need to fight to keep her? His thoughts continued to flop, back and forth and up and down, until the moment his legs stopped trotting. He reached Norma's house, panting for breath.

"Oh, Once-ler..." Norma's mother greeted with a sad little sigh. She had opened the door almost as quickly as he had knocked. He was still breathing heavily, but he tried to conceal it under a false smile.

"Hi again. I hope this isn't a bad time," Once-ler stammered politely.

Norma's mother shook her head, "No no. Of course not. It could never be a bad time! Come on in."

She lead Once-ler into the foyer and watched as he started kicking off his shoes carefully. She frowned. She had only come to meet this boy a few days prior, but already she could feel a sense of warmth for him. He was kind and well-mannered, and seemed to hold a genuine concern for her daughter. She didn't know why Norma was stowed away in her bedroom - she had asked many times by this point - but she couldn't help but feel more worry for Once-ler, the boy who showed up each and every day waiting on her to come down.

"I know I said I wasn't going to come today, but my boss let me off early..." Once-ler explained shyly, as he was lead toward the kitchen table. He felt awkward with Norma's parents, having only met them under circumstances such as these, but he was starting to find comfortability. They always showed him hospitality whenever he showed up at their door, no matter the time of day. They let him in, they offered him tea or coffee, they sat with him, spoke with him, and even played cards with him on one specific occasion. They asked about his family, about his job, and then always about his and Norma's relationship. They were very good friends, Once-ler would answer briefly. _Oh_, they would reply, always sounding more disappointed than one would come to expect.

"Oh, that Norma has always been a bit of a drama queen," her father had chuckled the very first day, when he had stepped into the living room and happened upon Once-ler sitting on his sofa. Even without introduction, he had understood, and Once-ler had only stared up at him with uncomfortable confusion. He hoped today would end up different, though. He didn't want to spend the evening sharing small talk over dinner with Norma's family, _sans Norma_. He was going to do something he hadn't tried before. Something so incredibly obvious, yet somehow so ignored.

"Tea?" Norma's mother chimed pleasantly, warping Once-ler back into the present tense.

"Not today," he declined quickly. With that, he bolted away. He didn't ask for permission. Instead, he found the stairs and climbed them. He had expected her mother to call to him. Follow him. What he didn't know or see, was the warm smile on her face.

These past few days he had been waiting, hoping Norma would come out on her own, but she never did. So today, despite boundaries, he was going to _make_ her come out. He was going to walk right up to her bedroom door, open it, and march in. He was going to tell her she was being unfair, she was going to apologize, and they were going to live happily ever after. Yeah. Something like that.

When he reached the top of the steps, he felt a surge of adrenaline. His eyes darted around the second floor. Doors, and more doors.

"Once-ler..."

Once-ler spun around. To his surprise, he found Norma. Little Norma, peeking around the corner of her doorway. Oh, Norma! Sweet Norma. She looked like a train wreck with her curly mess of bed-head and her wrinkled pyjamas. But she was a delightful sight for sore eyes. He felt his knees tremble. He had never realized how wound up the withdrawal had made him feel until it all loosened in his joints. He wasn't even upset any more.

"H-hey! What's going on?" Once-ler stuttered with his doe-eyed stare as aforementioned. Norma had a deep frown lining her lips and she turned away and back into her room. The only answer he received was the light padding of her bare-feet against carpeting.

Unsure of what to do, Once-ler followed with a similar silence. He hesitated at the door-frame, feeling a sense of guilt. He knew it wasn't okay to be alone with a girl in her bedroom, no matter what kind of relationship they claimed to have. He could envision her mother stepping in and shooing him away, exclaiming things about trust and inappropriate behaviours. He stepped through anyway, ignoring the whatever morals he may have had.

Norma was sitting on her bed, staring at him. He stared back, waiting for a downpour of apologies and explanations. It wasn't coming.

"Norma-"

"Please! Don't say it! I know you think I'm a _creep_!" she cried, dropping her face into her hands and sobbing.

"Wh-what?" Once-ler replied, dumbfounded. She continued to cry and he watched on without knowledge of how to react. He let his mind rush back to Tuesday before she disappeared. He thought hard. He focused carefully on her words. Her song.

"_But somehow, somewhere in between, you stole a kiss from me..._" he mouthed almost silently. He blinked, registering the words for the first time. Norma pulled her face away from her wet palms and gawked at him in horror. He wasn't looking back, though. He was playing the moment in his head, watching it carefully. Suddenly a lot of things made sense. A lot of things didn't, as well.

"Just go away," Norma whimpered, shifting her tush to turn away from him.

Once-ler swallowed hard, air tearing his oesophagus. He took a step. And another. And then one more. He was in front of her, looking down on her. She didn't move. He tried too, but he felt frozen. What was he doing right now? Her thoughts caught a whirlwind and spun around inside his head. He tried to focus, but it was hopeless.

On its own, his right hand lifted. It weaved through Norma's curly mane to find her soft, pink cheek. The light touch activated her reflexes and she turned to him. When their eyes met, something became clear. Something inside both of their heads decoded and they both knew.

They both knew, but neither of them said it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Oh. I don't know what to say about this chapter. After reading it, you may have discovered how ridiculous the name _Mr. Cuddles_ is. And all the references to the first time they were in _Cuddles' Café_. Oh.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

By Monday morning, everything had returned to normal - for real this time. School had returned, and Spring Break seemed to be only a distant daydream. Where had all those moments gone? Norma tried to focus her memory on the last span of days as she trotted along the sidewalk, but it rushed past her just the like the cars on the street; a mess of rips and tears in time. Her head hurt. She brushed it away.

The previous day, Norma had given all her time to Once-ler. She had affectionately attached herself to him as early as dawn, ringing his doorbell frantically, and scaring him halfway to Hell. The clock had been teasing midnight before they parted with an awkward, yet genuine, embrace. Somewhere in between all that time, they had worked on Thneeds, performed at the Cuddles' Café (Once-ler was technically working, but the café had been a ghost town), and watched the sun set into the night. The last few hours of daylight had been spent atop their hill, watching the sun slowly evanesce, and the stars begin to speckle the sky. It had been beautiful and quiet. Norma longed for it to be then again.

Instead, Norma's feet came to a halt when they reached the cross-walk. As always, Once-ler was waiting for her, tall and lanky as ever, at the other side of the street. He smiled brightly when their eyes met, waving his hand enthusiastically from left to right. She waved back, just as pleased to see him. She felt herself grinning. Today, she knew, was going to be okay. Today was going to be just an ordinary day.

**ooooo**

"And it was," Grammy narrated with a smile. It was barely there, but Ted could see it. It was almost always there. A loving smile of recollection. Reminiscent. Longing for what once was.

"So the two of you _did _fall in love because of your dream," Audrey accused softly, hands at her warmed pink cheeks. A similar curl was about her lips.

Ted couldn't help but frown. This wasn't the end of the story. This wasn't the happily ever after. This was a pause. A chance for Grammy to take a breath and find her place. An ordinary day, she had said, but what was an _ordinary_ day? All the days she had spoken of hadn't just been _ordinary_. Each day had had something special about it. Each day felt like it was tangled in magic and fate. Ted could almost feel the opposing forces fight it off in every word that danced from his grandmother's mouth. He felt afraid of what an _ordinary _day could hold. Not only for himself and his own heart, but for Audrey, who was a daydreamer with sparkles in her eyes. He didn't want to see her cry.

"I wouldn't say that," Grammy replied, her small smile going sly, "I _didn't_ say that, even."

"Oh! You might as well have!" Audrey defended, squinting her eyelids with a glare toward the old woman.

"Is that so? If you'd like, you could finish the story for me. I'm sure you would tell it better anyway."

"Wh-what? No! You have to continue!"

Ted found his frown deepening. He would have never imagined that he would be the most mature of the three of them.

"I don't know... I have a feeling you already have my fate decided, little Audrey," Grammy kidded, bringing a hand to the girl's head, and ruffling up her auburn waves. Audrey pouted in response.

"Does it even matter?" Ted seemed to burst. It wasn't exclaimed, but it was abrupt enough to startle the other two occupants of the room. They both stared cautiously toward him, curious and surprised. Ted bit down on his lip, losing his words.

"Does what even matter?" Audrey was the first to speak, blinking at him. Ted felt the undeveloped words reappear.

"The story isn't over yet, so why jump to conclusions? Even if Grammy did fall in love with the Once-ler, what does it matter? Do you see the Once-ler here with her now?!" Ted had started off quietly, but his voice rose with every word. He didn't want to yell at Audrey. He didn't mean to. He shut his mouth in shame.

Audrey's face changed. It was a new emotion on her face, and he wasn't sure what to call it. Disappointment? Realization? Had it only finally dawned on her now?

"Now, Teddy," Grammy entered his ears and thoughts, "Every story, happy or sad, has a reason in the end."

"What does that even mean?" Ted questioned sharply with a snap.

"It means..." she paused, thinking carefully and smiling, "It means that you need to listen carefully, and hear all the important parts. They usually tuck themselves carefully, right in between the lines."

**ooooo**

"Okay! I have something to show you!" Norma cheered excitedly when she and Once-ler stepped out of the school that afternoon. The day had felt much too long for a first day back, and she was glad that it had come to its end. She walked with a little skip in her step, and Once-ler followed along curiously. When the two of them reached the sidewalk, Norma swung her backpack off her shoulder, and onto the wet cement. It was nearing April, and the snow was fading a little more each day. The melting left the sidewalks and roads full of puddles, and the grass mushy. Norma liked it, somehow. She liked to see Winter leave. She was tired of being cold all the time. She waved it off with a smile.

"Oh dear," she groaned in response to the weight of her bag. All of her teachers had been so _pleased_to see everyone back that they piled up the homework sky high. She even had three review quizzes the very next day to study for. But for that moment, she didn't think about math equations or formulae. Instead, Norma's fingers felt there way around the binders and textbooks - strategically dodging a paper cut, and what could have potentially been a broken nail - and wrapped her digits around their soft prize. To add drama, Norma paused for a moment, locking eyes with quiet Once-ler.

Once-ler frowned sarcastically, "Get on with it."

"Hey," Norma said with a pout, "Be kind. The suspense is worth just how much you're going to like it."

With that, Norma tugged, and out came a bundle of off-red yarn. Once-ler's eyes widened as it fell into shape. No, it wasn't just yarn; it was knitted yarn. Knitted together carefully – but not perfectly – into what he could only assume to be a Thneed. He beamed when the realization dawned upon him. His hands, no longer at his sides, launched toward the fluffy thing. His fingers curled around the stitches, and he pulled it away from Norma's clutch. He took a few steps back and examined it.

"Hmm..."

And then silence.

Norma felt uncomfortable as Once-ler ran his eyes up and down her creation. She had spent many nights working on it in secret, hoping to surprise him upon its completion. She stitched and re-stitched into many wee hours of the morning, working blisters into her thumbs and fingers. She had only casted off around 2:30 AM that morning, falling asleep with it in a gentle tangle. She felt confident with her masterpiece, but hesitant in claiming so. His smile seemed genuine, but a little stuck to his teeth. She wasn't sure if his eyes read _impressed_, or only what he had simply said: _hmm_. He ran his fingers along it, stretched it, and examined it closer. Norma felt herself begin to sweat.

It was a scarf. Quite literally, nothing but a scarf. Once-ler held his smile, but he felt his excitement dwindle. The work was nicely crafted; he couldn't spot a single dropped stitch, and the knit two, purl two pattern was consistent... but it wasn't a _Th__need_. It was straight, from one end to the other. Too straight. Not a single twist or curve throughout the woolen fibres could be found. It would lie flat, and could certainly not be worn as a hat.

Once-ler's smile lost its strength at the corners. He looked at Norma, short and waiting for a pat on the head. Her eyes were wide as she held his stare. He could see the disappointment start to grow in her eyes. He wouldn't let that happen. He quickly brightened up again. Although it wasn't a thneed, it was beautiful. It was lovely. It was special. He wrapped it around his neck with a loose knot and awaited approval.

"Hey," Norma said with a smile, "Not even a word? There must be _something_you'd like to critique?"

"I love it," Once-ler answered, mirroring her grin. That was all.

Norma lit up, "You love it? Wait... of course you do!"

"Of course I do," Once-ler mimicked.

The moment fell into silence again. It seemed more and more often that the two of them spoke without any words. Their eyes would lock, and time would stop. The most meaningful things were shared in those minutes. Words and things that the two of them were starting to understand. It was beautiful, but it ached somewhere inside. It also didn't make any sense. It wasn't defined in their minds as _love,_or the sort. Whatever it was that chewed on their heartstrings, they didn't know. They just didn't know.

"Hey... I need more yarn. Do you want to come to the art store with me?" Once-ler suggested suddenly, interrupting the moment, and breaking the eye contact. Norma fell back into reality with a crash. She responded with quiet, wide eyes.

"Let's go then."

They arrived at the art shop soon after, their boots wet and squeaky with slush. It had been many months since they had been there, but Norma remembered it well enough. They passed through the doors, and she flashbacked to the first time. She recalled Once-ler, still partially in denial about his passion for knitting, and taking him there with a bribe in mind. He had agreed without any intention of keeping his end of the bargain, but in some ways he had. Norma was now wrapped up in his Thneed _business_- if you could call it that - and she was playing his guitar almost as well as him these days. She had taught herself, for the most part, but Once-ler had thrown in some helpful pointers every now and again.

Once-ler beelined toward the knitting aisle, but Norma treaded slowly. She looked around the store with its high ceilings and dwindling memories. Back then, her and the Once-ler were still fresh and new. She had barely known him at the point, and him the same. It was an interesting thought, as she passed by the checkouts slowly, without seeing.

"Oh, hello!" a voice stirred her, "Long time no see. I see you and your pretty boy are still together! Please: details!"

Norma spun around to find a familiar face. All those months ago, Norma recollected the nosy cashier with her sugar sweet implications. Norma had been enraged by her accusing stares and ignorant words. _Scoop him up while you can,_she had said. Norma glanced over toward the knitting aisle with uncertainty.

"Come on now. I know it's none of my business, but I'd just like to know if I was right about the two of you," the older woman chuckled with a sly smile, "I'm usually right about these sort of things, you know."

"U-uhm," Norma hesitated, but she wasn't sure how to respond. Millions of miniscule thoughts pounded in her mind all at once. What exactly was this woman asking, again?

"Hey, Norma!" Norma spun around to see Once-ler approaching, "What do you think about these? Do you think they could be waterproof?"

"Ohlala," Norma spun around again to face the cashier, "Don't let me interrupt, now."

"Interrupt?" Once-ler questioned, confused. He had no specific memory of the cashier.

Norma suddenly felt exhausted, uncomfortable, and uneasy with the situation. She didn't have words for either of them. Instead, she marched away, fuming. Once-ler watched on, holding tight to his confusion.

"Norma?"

"Go after her, pretty boy," the cashier cooed. Once-ler didn't understand, but he complied.

Once-ler found Norma in the knitting section, where he had been only minutes prior. She was gently caressing each ball of yarn as she stepped passed them. Slow and steadily she treaded without a sound.

Facing away from him, she spoke, "Once-ler, what are we?"

Once-ler stopped in his tracks, and Norma seemed to follow suit. She didn't turn to face him. Her right hand continued to stroke a violet ball of worsted yarn, as if she were on an infinite loop. He didn't speak.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Norma sounded again, this time turning her head just enough to reveal her profile. No eye contact was made, though. Once-ler couldn't see what she was thinking.

"What do you mean, Norma?"

With that, Norma spun around with a smile brighter than he had ever seen her grin, "We're best friends, forever and always, silly!"

Once-ler's frown lifted at its corners. He did feel silly now. He examined Norma, and she held her expression. Soon enough, he found himself mirroring her smile just as brightly.

"Of course," he replied, rolling his eyes at himself, "_Now_, what do you think about this yarn?"

Norma paced over to Once-ler, and looked the ball of yarn in his hands over. It looked just like any other yarn he had ever shown her. It was pink, fluffy, and thick. Maybe it was thicker. She took it into her hands, and felt it carefully. It didn't feel any different than any Thneed she had modelled for him. There was simply no way water wasn't going to seep through it.

"Maybe..." she whispered, but then stopped. _Maybe yarn just wasn't going to cut it_?

Once-ler mistook her meaning, his grin morphing into a confident smirk. He had it this time, he just knew it. The future perfect Thneed was cradled in Norma's hands, and he simply knew it. He snatched it away and scooped up a few extra skeins, and then trotted off towards the checkout. Norma didn't follow after. Not at first. She stayed in the quiet aisle and thought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Long time no see! I am so sorry for the horrible delay! If I have any readers left, thank you so much for sticking around for so long! I'm really hoping to wrap this story up soon... it'll probably reach its ending at just about 40 chapters. I have the rest of the story planned out in a nice text document, just waiting to be fleshed out. c:

I know that this is an agonizingly long story, but that's just the way I like to write. Slow and steady wins the race?

Thank you so much for reading... have a lovely day!


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"_Everybody need__s__ a Thneed__!__ A fine thing that all people need!_" Norma sang while strumming wildly on Once-ler's guitar. Once-ler had been working on that specific jingle since even before the Thneed had ever been spoken of between them. She had caught him on several occasions humming and quietly mouthing the catchy tune. He worked on it every now and again, but he never wrote anything down. It stirred and grew in his mind like a living, breathing entity. Norma had taken it upon herself to help in its creation. With his gift of melody, and with her gift of knowledge, she knew they could write the perfect little song for his perfect little dream. Whatever that may be exactly, she wasn't sure. She just knew she wanted to be apart of it.

"_The Thneed is good; the Thneed is great... And it's just $3.98.._." Once-ler mumbled in a tone that was somewhere in between a hum and a whisper. He wasn't paying much attention to Norma, or to anything at all. His eyes delved into his work: his new and improved Thneed to be. Immediately after purchasing his latest batch of yarn, he set to knitting it up. He was more determined than ever to create the perfect Thneed. _Hundreds of uses_, he would say. It would be able to do anything you could ever imagine! Norma somehow doubted that. She didn't say so though. She played along with a smile on her lips.

"$3.98 doesn't seem like much. Considering the time it takes to knit a single Thneed, don't you think you should raise the price a bit?" Norma inquired.

Once-ler continued stitching existence into his Thneed in silence. His hands were quick, yet steady as they patterned the yarn delicately. Norma wasn't certain if he was thinking about what she had said, or ignoring her all together. She waited, strumming a few quiet notes.

"It'll add up," he finally replied, cool and briefly. Norma felt a shiver move its way passed his lips and down her spine.

"Do you think so?" Norma said with a small, weak tone. The lack of enthusiasm didn't catch Once-ler's attention. Nothing could.

The two friends were sitting atop their hill, dampening their tushes in the thawing grass. Norma finally took her eyes away from Once-ler, and gave them to the playground and fields beneath them. It was quiet; it was too close to dinner time for any children to be out and about. All she could hear was the chirping of a few lingering robins and the clinking of Once-ler's knitting needles. It would have been peaceful, if not for the thundering madness drumming inside of her head.

When was the last time that they had taken the time to actually speak to one another? Suddenly, it felt like forever. Suddenly, Norma felt further away from her friend than ever before. But that couldn't have been so. When Norma had only just met Once-ler, he had been mousey and strange. But then again, what was he now?

Norma glanced over and watched as Once-ler quietly knitted another stitch into his Thneed. Had he been the one to change, or had it been her? Or had they only grown used to each other's company? She felt a sort of emptiness somewhere deep inside her chest. Like something was missing.

A few more notes danced off her fingers. They weren't loud and full of joy anymore. Instead, the soft sounds flowed around her once, and then dropped to the ground.

"Why don't you knit too?" Once-ler asked without moving his eyes. Stitch, stitch, stitch.

"Well… I'd rather write a song," Norma answered quickly, mirroring his lack of movement. Strum, strum… strum.

Once-ler smiled, "Hey, if that's what you want. I'm pretty quick with making Thneeds nowadays anyway. Look! I'm almost done."

Norma looked on queue even though she didn't want to. Once-ler spread out his work with a proud grin. It looked just like all the other Thneeds he had ever shown her. It twisted and turned in odd directions. It was fluffy and soft. It was bright and pink. It was yarn. Yarn; tangled together in an intricate fashion.

"Hey, it looks great," Norma said as she looked away. She felt a sting.

"Yeah. It just needs a few more rows, and then I'll cast off."

"Then what?" Norma almost snapped.

Once-ler tilted his head, a bit confused, "Then what? Well, I guess the next step would be to test it."

"And _then_ what?" Norma repeated, plucking grass anxiously from the dirt beneath her.

"Well, that depends on the results!" Once-ler chuckled, folding his work back into his lap, and proceeding to knit into the minutes.

Norma frowned deeply. A wrinkle creased her forehead as her eyebrows furrowed. She didn't like the way she was feeling right then. The sudden resentment filling up her diaphragm felt out of character. She was always so supportive of the Once-ler and his _dream_. She wanted to be by his side, through thick and thin. She couldn't imagine it any other way. But, somewhere a seed of doubt had started to sprout. Somewhere, deep inside herself, she felt the undeniable desire to _always _be there for her friend, but not only through the rise, but also for the _fall_. The fall of what?

"Can I ask you a question, Once-ler?" Norma said, trying to sound chipper as usual. She was hoping for some answers to fill in the blanks of her thoughts. Once-ler nodded quickly in response.

"Where do you see your Thneed taking you?"

Once-ler turned to face Norma, staring her down inquisitively, "What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is… what is your goal?"

"My goal…?" Once-ler trailed off, looking up toward the clear sky above them. He wasn't sure if he had words to describe his goal – not quite yet. It was magnificent, whatever it was. He knew that for a fact. He watched a lone cloud drift by, slow and steady. Just like him, he thought.

"Dreams are abstract things…" he said in whisper. The sky was like a painting. Beautiful brush strokes made a gradient where the Sun was starting to set. Blues and oranges striped the horizon, preparing for night. It was getting to be late in the evening. Later than either of them should still be out.

"Are they?" Norma asked quietly, following his gaze upwards, "Mine feel pretty clear."

Once-ler smiled, "Mine feel pretty hazy. Like a storm might be just beyond the horizon."

"I think you're thinking about your _future_. It doesn't matter if a storm comes; you can always hold onto your dreams."

"I suppose so…" Once-ler's smile weakened. It might have been true, but one could only hold onto a dream that was solid enough to grasp. Once-ler thought a little then. A little bit about his Thneed. A little bit about himself. He saw himself wearing green someday.

"We'll be on stage someday," Norma broke into his thoughts with a cheery voice. She was the first to break the pattern of whispers, "You and I, together. We're going to sing songs that will blow the minds of the teenaged generation."

Once-ler never answered. He stayed quiet, watching that one lone cloud continue to fade into the distance. The east end of the sky was a dark enough blue that stars were starting to poke through. It must have been nearing 7:00 pm by that point; it'd be dark within the hour. Once-ler didn't want to find himself walking home in pitch blackness, but his body made no attempt to move. His mouth mimicked, choosing not to say any such thing. He felt frozen in thought. In time, even. He couldn't see Norma, not even in his peripherals. He felt her there beside him, though. Somehow he could feel her warmth.

"Maybe…" Norma paused, "Maybe instead of going to college, we could run away together. Become starving musicians. Travel the world."

Once-ler's breathing was the only sound he made.

"I don't know anymore," she sighed, and with that, she returned to her gentle strumming.

An hour may have gone by before they shared any more words between them. Once-ler had gone back to his knitting, and Norma had begun work on songs she hoped would exist someday. They were a mix of things, ranging from sopping romances to tongue-in-cheek satires. Nothing was solid – not yet. Soon enough, though, Norma could see the notes and words melding together into beautiful things. She wished for Once-ler's aid, but she knew she wasn't going to be getting anything of the sort tonight. She let it be.

"_I'll always be by your side, with your heart right next mine, no matter how small you are. And when you grow so tall, and think you know it all… I'll be there to catch you when you fall…_" Norma sang slowly, making the words up as she went along. She stared into a notebook she had recently adopted, deciding whether to write the words down or not. The book was filled with nothing but blank pages.

"What's that one about?" Once-ler asked, trying to bring life to their wordlessness. He started casting off at that moment.

"About? I don't know," Norma answered with a shrug, "Life. Everything. Nothing. I don't know."

"Well… it was nice. I liked it. It rhymed… and stuff," Once-ler smiled awkwardly. He was sure Norma smiled too, even though he couldn't see it. It was the way her presence seemed to grow warmer, enveloping the left side of his body. That gave it away.

"…and done!" Once-ler jumped up to his feet, shaking out his newborn Thneed, fresh off the needles. It was beautiful! He had never been more proud of himself. He was caught in the middle of his second twirl when his eyes met with Norma's stare.

"You outdid yourself this time," she said kindly, standing up as well. She giggled softly, and gave a twirl for his cause. In the very second that her face was turned away, her expression had gone blank. Her eyes darted to the black sky. But it wasn't black anymore. Instead, it was gray, full of clouds that had snuck their way above their heads as they had worked. The wind had started to pick up at that moment as well. Gusting sounds blew past their ears. A few droplets of rain hit their faces.

"Oh no," Norma hissed, reaching around herself for the hood of her coat. There was no such hood. Of course not. Why wouldn't she have already realized that?

"Wait, no, this is perfect!" Once-ler exclaimed, "We don't have to wait to test the Thneed! Come on now, put it on!"

Once-ler quickly stepped up in front of Norma and began wrapping the wool around her head. She fidgeted uncomfortably as he tugged and pulled at her hair while trying to sculpt a hood out of the knitted yarn. When he was done by his terms, she tweaked it out of its lopsidedness.

"Once-ler, we're just going to get soaked," Norma groaned as the rain started. There was not much worse than the rain when it came to Norma. Like a family cat, she ran for shelter whenever it began to fall. She wanted not a single drop of it to find its way to her hair and reveal her bouncy, twisty curls. She knew the Thneed wasn't going to help her with this, but did Once-ler?

"Don't be a party-pooper," Once-ler answered while holding onto a solid smile, "This could be _the _moment!"

Norma stood in the rain. It wasn't a shower, but the light sprinkle was enough. She could already feel the moisture working its way into her strands and poofing up her mane. She frowned deeply, dodging eye-contact with Once-ler. He was analyzing her - no, he was analyzing his Thneed. He buried his eyes into her with his analytic gaze.

"Is the rain getting in?" Once-ler questioned sedately. Norma felt a trickle of water slide down her cheek. She tried to stay calm.

Once-ler watched the raindrop make its way down her face, and drop off her chin. It answered his question for her. He felt solemn. Disappointed. He had been so sure that this time he had gotten it right.

Norma saw emotion overtake her friend. The rain on his own face could have been tears, she didn't know. She held her breath, holding down her own urge to scream and run away. She looked over toward her house, only a few hundred meters away. It was tempting just to run. Run and hide away in her bedroom from anyone's judging stares. It would be easier than what she knew she was going to do instead.

"Hey… don't look so sad," Norma sang hesitantly, "It's holding off the rain a lot longer than the first few! Oh, and this one is way more comfortable."

Once-ler didn't seem convinced.

"I think you're really onto something with this one!"

Once-ler couldn't contain a smile, "You really think so?"

Norma grinned, "Of course! Every Thneed you make is better than the last! Soon enough, you'll have a masterpiece and _everyone _is going to need it."

"You know, I know you're only saying that to be nice," Once-ler accused, putting his hands to his hips.

"No," Norma quickly denied. She then threw herself at him, embracing his bony body in her softness. They were both drenched through and though by now. She felt like they could have been underwater. The sounds sort of went away, and she listened closely to his heartbeat in his chest. It quickened just a touch.

Once-ler followed suit and wrapped his arms around the wet girl. An awkward sort of _squish_ sounded when their wet clothes met. He ignored it though, and held onto his friend with equal strength. He felt sort of confused about this hug. He felt confused about a lot of their hugs lately. They were always quiet, and so much longer than they used to be. Norma always let out pleasant little sighs. Something had _changed_. He wasn't going to be the one to ask.

"I just have one piece of advice for you," Norma said, speaking into his chest. He felt her lips move against him, and it sent strange shivers through his extremities.

"What's that, curly girl?"

Norma chose to ignore the tease and follow through, "Maybe yarn just isn't going to cut it?"

First there was quiet. Then there were a few quick breaths. Norma felt Once-ler's arms loosen around her. _Maybe yarn _wasn't _going to cut it_.

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><p><strong>AN:** Here's another chapter for my beautiful readers. :3


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"Maybe yarn isn't it."

Once-ler shuffled through his drawers of skeins and more skeins of soft, colourful yarn. He tossed several to the floor in frustrated disapproval.

"Maybe yarn isn't what the Thneed _needs_."

Norma watched on in silence, feeling a desperate pull of butterflies in her stomach. She fiddled with the fret of Once-ler's guitar that lay on her lap.

"Maybe there is something… no, _anything_ else," Once-ler whispered, dropping a few balls of the fluff to the hardwood floor. He had been storming around and paraphrasing Norma's words since that rainy evening on the hill. He hadn't knitted anything in little over a week. Instead, he spent hours racking his brain for a revelation. These hours quickly shifted into days, which in turn closed in on two weeks. Norma had felt like a quiet ghost, haunting his pacing trivialities in the corners of his days. She couldn't remember the last time she had spoken to him. Was the last time he had wrapped his arms around her been almost two weeks ago?

It was a Sunday afternoon at Once-ler's house. The year had just started working on April, bringing with it warm weather and singing birds. Norma stared longingly out the window to the greening grass that filled the fields around the farmhouse. Once-ler had been keeping himself cooped up inside since his _realization_. He was sitting on his bed across from her, flipping violently through his pile of worn sketchpads. They were full to the brim with patterns and designs. He had been sketching his Thneed to life long before he had ever even met Norma. But now, he was at a loss. She was at a loss too.

"How could I have never thought of this?" Once-ler grumbled, tearing out a page from his sketchbook and crumpling it up into a ball. He tossed it toward a trash can by his door without looking. It ended up hitting the wall next to it and bouncing to the floor. It landed amongst a few other balls of sketch paper that he had just tossed away carelessly. The trashcan itself was nearly full. Norma wanted to say something.

"How could I have just _overlooked_ this?" he muttered, slamming the sketch book shut. He then picked the book up from his lap and thoughtlessly threw the whole thing away. This time he didn't miss, and it landed noisily on top of all the other rejects. A few balls fell over the rim, making room for the hefty new resident. Norma flinched.

Once-ler jumped to his feet. He looked around his bedroom with his bloodshot eyes. When was the last night he had slept, Norma wondered. He looked terrible, as if it had been days. She imagined poor Once-ler, up all night, staring into the bumps on his ceiling for an answer. Was this… her fault?

"Just because yarn is what is traditionally knit _doesn't_ mean I can't expand my horizons."

Once-ler took a few steps to his left and stopped.

"It doesn't mean I can't knit with _anything_."

He shifted his weight and took a few steps to the left. He was speaking with his hands. Stroking his chin. He was in such a deep amount of thought that Norma wasn't even sure if he knew she was there anymore. He was pacing again.

"All I need is that perfect material. That perfect substance for the perfect Thneed. It has to exist! I just have to _find_ it!"

Once-ler paced one more time. He walked the full diameter of the room before turning to the door. He was gone in seconds. Norma barely realized he had even left. Suddenly she was alone, in Once-ler empty bedroom. She didn't know if she wanted to follow or wait it out. She was a little scared of Once-ler. A little worried for him too. She had never seen him so determined and so _crazy_ before in their time together. Sure, there had been times she had thought him to be a little obsessed with his Thneed, but this was something else altogether. This… whatever _this_ was… it was making him forget to eat, forget to sleep, forget to come to school, and mostly importantly, forget to love Norma. _Like_ Norma, she meant.

She chose to follow. She treaded lightly down the stairs in search of where Once-ler may have gone. The house seemed empty. Silence seemed to scream down the hallways. The rest of Once-ler's family were out to some function out of town, leaving the two of them alone with the house for the weekend. But even so, the house felt emptier than that. It didn't feel like Once-ler was even still there.

"Once-ler?" she called out in a whisper. She couldn't help but keep quiet in the quiet, quiet home. She felt like an intruder now, lurking around the corner. She found her way into the living room, but Once-ler wasn't there to be found. She wandered into the dining area only to find the same results. The kitchen and the foyer followed suit. Soon enough she found herself staring at the front door. It was unlocked.

Norma felt hesitant. She wasn't sure what Once-ler would be doing outside. It didn't even look like he had put on his coat or boots before leaving. She saw his jacket hanging on its hanger in the closet, right next to hers. She slipped into her boots that were on the floor right next to his.

"Once-ler?" Norma called out again, a little louder this time. She had opened and pulled the door away from her line of sight. She walked slowly into the pleasantly cool April air. Her eyes darted around the clear blue sky. It was sunny and full of life; chirping birds danced among the sparse clouds. She blinked a few times and found Once-ler sitting in the grass a few paces away.

"Hey… what are you doing?" Norma asked when she reached him. He didn't look up to her. He didn't respond. His eyes were focused on his hands. More specifically, what was in his hands. He held onto blades of grass, examining them carefully.

"Something better than yarn…" he mumbled while working the grass with his fingertips. It was still yellowed from the harshness of Winter, as well as short and stubbly. Norma couldn't see any possible way of knitting with such a material, let alone how it could prove to be any better – or comfortable – than yarn.

Once-ler chewed on his bottom lip with frustration, probably realizing the exact same thing. In one quick motion, he tossed his collection of grass into the air. It fluttered gently to the ground around the two of them. Many blades found their way into his dark hair. Norma couldn't help but giggle.

"You think this is funny?" Once-ler grunted without even looking up.

Norma closed her mouth and froze.

"Do you not know how serious this is?" he snapped, this time looking up at her with a fierce glare.

Norma grimaced, "Well, it's kind of silly how you're reacting. I mean, there's nothing _wrong_ with yarn. All I had meant was-"

"There is _everything_ wrong with yarn!" Once-ler interrupted with a snapping shout, "All this time it has been yarn that has been holding us back. The Thneed needs something so much more than just some cheap yarn. It needs something amazing. Something that exists _somewhere_. But where?"

"Maybe it doesn't exist," Norma whispered, staring down at Once-ler's bare toes.

"If you're going to be apart of the Thneed, you can't give up so easily."

Norma thought on this. Once-ler got up and trudged away from her. He was looking for foliage of any kind. Natural was always better, right? The Thneed needed to be all natural! Synthetic and processed fibres just wouldn't do. But Winter had only just come to an end, leaving the land a lifeless mess.

"Maybe I don't want to be apart of the Thneed, then."

Once-ler spun around to find Norma right where he had left her. Her feet were planted into the ground and her hands were balled up into fists on either side of her body. A frown curved her lips and furrowed eyebrows crinkled her nose. Once-ler could see she was upset and suddenly he felt at a loss.

"Hmph!" Norma exclaimed and marched off. Once-ler watched her as she stomped away back into his house. He stayed.

Norma found herself alone again in Once-ler's bedroom. She let herself fall into his bed. It somehow still felt warm with Once-ler's body heat from earlier. She curled into it. She pressed her face into his pillow. It felt nice warming up her skin. It smelled nice in her nose. She relished in a sort of comfort she had never quite felt before. She could almost fall asleep…

"Why do you need to be such a jerk?" Norma questioned the air around her. She propped her face up with her elbows and stared achingly at the wall in front of her. This wasn't an unusual scenario anymore. It seemed the more days that passed, the more Once-ler put his Thneed before everything else. Sometimes Norma felt like she might as well stay home. Why was she even there anyway? It's not like she was helping in any way. Nowadays it seemed all she really provided for him was ambience music in the background. But on the other hand… what was he even providing her?

Norma extended one of her short arms toward the guitar she had propped up against the bed before leaving earlier. She twisted herself around while pulling it up and over her body. Lying on the bed, she stared at the ceiling and strummed a few sad chords. She hadn't heard Once-ler play a single note in almost a month. She hadn't heard him sing, either. He hadn't helped her improve or write. He hadn't done anything musical. It made her sad. It broke her heart. Lately, when she tried envisioning the two of them together on stage, it was excruciatingly difficult. It had become clouded. Fogged. It was troubling.

"_Remember when we were the perfect duet_

_all the way back when we had only just met?_

_Oh, what will it take to win you back… again?_"

Norma started to sing, and she continued to sing the daytime into night.

When Once-ler returned to his bedroom several hours later, he found Norma asleep on his bed. His guitar lay across her chest as if she had fallen asleep while playing. He watched it gently lift and set with each of her slow breaths. He felt awkward and couldn't help but blush. He was unsure of if he should wake her, or simply let her be. He chose to stay quiet.

"I'll wake you soon…" he whispered, quietly stepping towards her. He took hold of the guitar and pulled it away from her. She instantly rolled over onto her side, facing away from him. He couldn't help but smile at the soft sleeping noises that escaped her throat. He put the guitar down and turned away, sitting down at his desk. It was time for more work on his Thneed.

Right as his pencil was about to meet his fresh sketchpad, Norma shifted in the bed behind him. He turned around to check up on her to discover she was sitting up. Her tired eyes dug into him deeply.

"Hey there sleepy head," he greeted with a smile.

Norma frowned, "How about you take a break from your Thneed and play with me for a while. I've been working on some songs. I'd love to hear your feedback."

Once-ler tried to hold his smile, "I've been hearing your songs. You play them all the time. They're great, you know that."

"So you're saying no again?"

Once-ler sighed, letting his lips fall, "I don't really have time right now."

Norma scowled at him, "You never have time. I honestly think your stupid Thneed can wait an hour or two."

Once-ler started to become annoyed, "Look, Norma, I know you don't really get it, but I have _a lot_ of work to do. I basically have to rethink my Thneed entirely. As much fun as it is singing silly little songs with you, I have much more important things to do. So please, let me work!"

Norma wasn't quick to make her comeback this time. She stared deep into Once-ler's eyes. He stared back at her just as profoundly. Their eyes burned holes into each other with angered passion. Their hearts crumbled ever so slightly.

"Silly little songs…" Norma echoed in a low throaty voice. She didn't notice her own tears slide down her cheeks.

Once-ler's face softened, "Hey, I didn't mean it like that…"

"I'm sure…" she mumbled. She started pulling herself apart from the bed.

"Wait," Once-ler said, moving away from his text and sliding his chair over beside her.

"I'm going home," was all Norma said.

Once-ler held his hands out, trying to keep her from standing, "Wait, come on. Don't be like that."

Norma struggled to get free of his trembling grasp on her. It wasn't too difficult to push him off. His wheeled chair rolled him away with the momentum. With that, she stood to her feet and fled. Out of the room, down the stairs, and straight out the door; she slid her feet into her boots and her arms into her coat as she ran passed the doorway. Once-ler had been close behind, but he stopped when he reached the doorframe. He watched her run through the field, and down the little pathway. It wasn't long before she was gone and out of sight.

"Norma…" he said her name like a cuss. He slammed the door closed and headed back for his bedroom. When he reached it, he sat back down at his desk and went back to his _work_. Right as his pencil was about to caress the paper, he thought he heard a sound behind his thoughts. He spun around to find his guitar had slid down the side of the bed and to the floor. He frowned. He thought. He had hoped it was Norma coming back, but it was not.

Once-ler picked up the guitar and brought it up onto his lap. He let his fingers slide into place, a few soft notes echoing throughout the room. He took a deep breath, preparing to sing a few lines-

"I just don't have time for this."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Another chapter for my darling readers. c: I'm going to go ahead and apologize if my story seems _slow_. It's just the kind of story it was intended to be. It's just more focused on the character development and relationship as opposed to the underlying plot. I've decided after writing a short breakdown of the rest of the story, that this story will official end at Chapter 39, with the possibility of a 40... but probably not. Anyway, thanks again for reading. I really appreciate every view and review that I get! Have a lovely day!


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